"My biggest achievement" - Yuzvendra Chahal opens up on 2024 T20 World Cup selection
Team India's ace leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned to the Men in Blue's T20I team as he was included in the squad for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup.
Reacting to his selection, Chahal emphasized that playing for the country and being part of the national team remains his biggest cricketing achievement. Speaking ahead of the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) IPL 2024 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, May 2, he said:
"I think for the World Cup (you can congratulate me on that first). We play domestic cricket and the IPL only to come into the Indian team. That is my biggest achievement."
The 2024 T20 World will be played in the West Indies and the United States of America. Interestingly, Chahal's previous T20I appearance also came during India's five-match series against West Indies away from home.
The 33-year-old pointed out that while he hasn't been a regular feature in India's white-ball teams lately, he has played a lot of matches in the domestic circuit. He added:
"I played there (West Indies and USA) last July. When I was not with the Indian team, I played T20s and One-Day matches in domestic cricket. So, the cricket kept going on."
Yuzvendra Chahal has been in impressive form in the ongoing IPL 2024. With 13 wickets from nine outings, he is Rajasthan's leading wicket-taker this season.
"It will be quite challenging here" - Yuzvendra Chahal on being up against SRH batters
Yuzvendra Chahal mentioned that it will be a tough contest for him against the explosive batting lineup of SRH. However, he suggested that he isn't afraid of being hit now, given that he has played a lot at the batting-friendly M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Speaking about the SRH vs RR clash, Chahal said in the pre-match interview:
"SRH have been playing quite well. All the batters, from the top to the No. 7, have done well. It will be quite challenging here. I have played around 45 matches at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, so there's no fear now. I believe that a good ball will be a good ball, irrespective of who is the batter."
The Sanju Samson-led RR have won eight out of their first nine games and are currently at the top of the IPL 2024 points table.