"Credit to West Indies because they played better cricket" - Yuzvendra Chahal on India's shock defeat in 1st T20I
Yuzvendra Chahal credited the West Indies for their performance in the opening T20I of the five-match series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Despite chasing a modest 150 for victory, Team India succumbed to the pressure of a run-chase and fell short by four runs.
The 33-year-old was one of the few bright spots in the game for the visitors, picking up two wickets in his three overs. It was only India's third loss in their last 18 T20 games against the hosts, sparking questions about the team's shambolic display.
Speaking to reporters before the second T20I, Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed the notion of the West Indies being pushovers by praising them for playing better cricket on the day.
"We still got four matches to play. I think we must also give credit to West Indies becasue they played better cricket. We always think that oh you are playing against West Indies, you are going to win 5-0. It’s not true. It is all about who perform better on the given day," Chahal said.
Despite the setback, the leg-spinner remained upbeat about the team's ability to bounce back.
"We lost by four runs but we played good cricket. We will bounce back in the second match. Last time when I was here in 2019, it was washed out. I have watched a couple of CPL matches but that’s completely different. We will look at the wicket and how it’s going to play," Chahal added.
The action shifts to the Providence Stadium in Guyana for the second T20I, with India looking to even up the series at one game apiece. In their previous meeting at the venue, the Men in Blue registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory in 2019.
Team India also won the Test (1-0) and the ODI series (2-1) before the ongoing T20 series.
"Family where you have four brothers" - Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal equated playing under the prominent Indian captains - MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya to a family with four brothers.
The leg-spinner made his international debut under MS Dhoni in 2016, following which he played with Kohli as the skipper for Team India and in the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Chahal also played a prominent role under the leadership of Rohit Sharma over the last couple of years. Despite the varying personalities, the 33-year-old felt that all four captains had a similar vision of winning matches on the ground.
"It’s like a family where you have four brothers. Mahi bhai was the eldest, then came Virat bhaiya, then Rohit bhaiya and now Hardik. Equation remains the same. At the ground, we all want to win. They give us freedom as a bowler and Hardik gives that space to the bowlers. There has not been a drastic change," Chahal said.
Despite debuting under MS Dhoni, Yuzvendra Chahal has played only six matches under the World Cup-winning captain. However, he has played 117 of his 148 international games under the leadership of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The IPL's leading wicket-taker has played in eight games under Hardik Pandya, who has captained the side in the shortest format since the T20 World Cup last year.