"Rohit Sharma trusts Yuzvendra Chahal a lot, no doubt he'll be on the flight to Australia" - Dinesh Karthik during 3rd IND vs NZ 2021 T20I
Dinesh Karthik firmly believes Rohit Sharma's trust in leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal will be the latter's ticket to the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
Dinesh Karthik's comments came during the third India-New Zealand T20I in Kolkata. He suggested that Rohit Sharma's relationship with Yuzvendra Chahal is equally strong both on and off the field. Karthik added that the leg-spinner, too, will look to make amends on his international comeback after four months.
Dinesh Karthik told Cricbuzz:
"...He's very good at bowling abroad as well so that is a very important attribute to keep in mind when India travels to play the World Cup in Australia. I have no doubt, to be honest, that he'll be there on that flight to Australia. He'll want to make amends and also I know Rohit trusts him a lot. The way he'll be using him, you'll see that the relationship between Rohit and Chahal is not only strong off the field but on the field they have some good conversations [as well]."
Dinesh Karthik also shared an anecdote from the 2018 Nidhas Trophy in Sri Lanka where Rohit Sharma-led India emerged victorious. The wicketkeeper-batter revealed how the captain's free hand to Yuzvendra Chahal helped India dismiss a dangerous-looking Upul Tharanga against Sri Lanka to win the match.
Dinesh Karthik, labeling the captain-bowler combo a 'terrific' one, added:
"I remember one instance in the Nidhas Trophy when Upul Tharanga was going hard at the spinners and Chahal came and asked him, 'Do you think I should bowl defensively or should I try and attack?" He (Rohit) said, "Definitely I want his wicket, if you get hit for five sixes I don't care, try and get his wicket." That's exactly what he did. He tossed the ball on the stumps, he (Tharanga) went for a wild slog and got bowled. I love the conversation they had in the middle of the wicket. I was just standing there and observing them. Terrific captain-bowler combo they have and I am very sure Rohit will get the best out of Chahal as a leg-spinner."
A look at the Playing XI for #TeamIndia.
Ishan Kishan and Yuzvendra Chahal come in place of KL Rahul and R Ashwin.
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Yuzvendra Chahal has often hailed Rohit Sharma for treating him like a younger brother. This makes it even more interesting to see how the leg-spinner performs under the new T20I captain in his first match since getting snubbed from the T20 World Cup 2021 squad. It also remains to be seen what that will mean for his place in the side going forward.
"For me, Yuzvendra Chahal is the top leg-spinner in India" - Dinesh Karthik
Innings Breaks!
After electing to bat first, #TeamIndia post a total of 184/7 for New Zealand to chase.
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Further making the case for the 31-year-old tweaker, Dinesh Karthik said Yuzendra Chahal is, in his opinion, the "top leg-spinner in India". He argued that Chahal's skill, variation, growth and chess-inspired ability to stay ahead of the batter under pressure make him a special bowler. Dinesh Karthik said:
"For me, he's the top leg-spinner in India just because of the skills he has. I also rate him very high because you have to remember, he is a chess player and there are always a couple of moves ahead of other normal people. For me, that's a very special attribute to have. You can see in the way he bowls under pressure, he's ahead of the normal batsmen... He's got good skills, good variations and he's a very brave bowler and one of those who's grown in stature year on year in the IPL."
Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first in Kolkata. The Indian middle order couldn't build on to a good start in the powerplay as the hosts only managed a competitive total of 184/7. It will need some good bowling from the Indians to defend this in a dew-slick Eden Gardens.