New Delhi: Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who grabbed the limelight with the Indian Premier League, earned Virat Kohli's trust and now plays a pivotal role for Team India in the limited-overs format.
The BCCI announced the 16-man squad for the first three ODIs of the five-match series against Australia and decided to give rest to both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
In that scenario, Chahal will definitely be Kohli's go-to man against the mighty Australians.
The bowler who hails from Haryana, speaking to CricketNext, revealed that the two pillars of Indian cricket – MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli were always there to guide him and without their support it would not have been possible for Chahal to scale such heights.
"It is always crucial to have a guiding light, but fortunately for me, I have two in Kohli bhai and Mahi bhai (Dhoni). While the skipper is like a friend, constantly trusting me to go ahead and implement the plans I wish to on the field, Mahi bhai is more like the mentor I turn to every time I have any doubt in my head. Being the wicket keeper, he has a clear idea of what is going on and what could be the ideal strategy against a certain batsman," Chahal revealed.
While he has played just 7 ODIs and 7 T20Is, he is already seen as a match-winner by the team think-tank as has been handed the responsibility of the senior spinner in the upcoming series against Steve Smith & boys. But Chahal isn’t losing sleep and feels that the confidence that Kohli has shown him has made him adept to bowling anywhere in the innings and at any stage in the match.
"I must say that thanks to the skipper, I now have the confidence to bowl anywhere in the innings and in any situation. Be it the first over of a T20 game or the 50th over of an ODI game, I am ready to go through the grind and give it my best. And I must say that along with having faith in my own belief, it is the seniors like Kohli bhai and Mahi bhai who make the job of youngsters like me easier," he said.
