Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is relishing bowling on the bigger grounds of Dubai and Abu Dhabi as it allows him to offer more flight in his delivery.
"It is heavenly playing here. We play half (seven) of our matches at Chinnaswamy but here only three matches in Sharjah (which is also a small ground). With the side boundaries (in Dubai and Abu Dhabi), you can flight a little bit more,” Chahal said in an online media interaction on October 1.
"In small grounds, if the wicket is turning it is hard to put you away. Here the wickets are fine but with bigger boundaries, batsmen really need to middle you to hit that six. Even a short ball can give you a wicket,” he explained.
Chahal has had a good tournament, claiming five wickets from three games. It was his 3 for 18 that ensured RCB’s victory in their campaign opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
WATCH- Yuzvendra Chahal’s fiancée Dhanashree celebrates his Man of the Match versus SRH
Talking about his performance, the wrist-spinner said he is reaping rewards of bowling a quicker version of his googly in this year’s IPL.
While Chahal had intended to bowl his wrong ones quicker than usual ahead of the tournament, Australian leggie Adam Zampa's company is also helping him on that front.
"We (Zampa and Chahal) are always talking, not only in the nets. I have been observing his bowling style ever since he came into the Australian team. Anyway, I was trying to bowl quicker googlies this IPL along with the slower ones. That gives less chance to the batsman to hit me," he said.
Chahal said none other than the great AB de Villiers has suggested him to use his googly carefully.
"If you are bowling leg spin from the fourth or fifth stump, from there you can bowl googly and the batsman think the leg spin is coming so he has to read from my hand only. If they are not reading there will be problems for sure.
"Being able to bowl to Virat bhaiya and AB sir also helps. They give me feedback about the right line and length. AB sir has told me to bowl googlies depending on the situation," he remarked.
Chahal also endorsed Kohli's viewpoint that the current squad is RCB's most balanced since the 2016 edition, in which they made it to the final.
"We have a more balanced side this season, especially bowling. It is not just me, everyone is getting a different feeling, the one we had in 2016. There is positivity coming from everyone."
When asked if he is bowling at his best after returning to cricket post COVID-19 hiatus, Chahal replied: "During lockdown I only practiced for 10 days. Before first match I was worried about my rhythm as I had not bowled for six months. I was nervous but after my first over, the nerves were settled."
"I was not sure if I would be able to bowl my variations but the first game performance gave me a lot of confidence."
(With PTI inputs)
