Former South African cricket team captain AB de Villiers has heaped praise on India’s leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, hailing him as one of the finest leg-spinners in the history of the game.
Chahal, aged 33, stands as one of the most seasoned leg spinners in India, with a notable impact in white-ball cricket. Despite not featuring in Test cricket, he has been a highly impactful bowler. Yuzvendra Chahal boasts an impressive record, having represented the India National Cricket Team in 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is, securing 121 and 96 wickets in the respective formats.
AB de Villiers Hailed Yuzvendra Chahal
AB de Villiers and Chahal were teammates in the Indian Premier League (IPL), representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. During their time together, the South African legend gained firsthand knowledge of the impressive skills possessed by the Indian spinner.
In a video posted on his official YouTube channel, AB de Villiers mentioned that Chahal has a proactive approach, always seeking to attack and make breakthroughs even when the pitch doesn’t offer much assistance to the spinners. He said:
“Best bowlers always look at the positive side of the things and that’s why you’re one of the best leg spinners of all time, my friend. You’re always optimistic. You always love a challenge no matter how much a batter comes at you.”
He added: “I watch you in the IPL as well. The pitch in Rajasthan is good and sometimes it doesn’t turn. But you still look to attack and take wickets and that’s the positive attitude that makes great sportspersons.”
Chahal Gave Credits To RCB
In the same video, Chahal expressed that his confidence received a boost while playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He said:
“My confidence grew when I played in RCB at Chinnaswamy. When I did well there, wherever I went, I thought, ‘This ground is bigger than Chinnawswamy. So if I bowled well there, I can bowl well here too.’ I back my skills and don’t go away from my game. I just try to keep going for wickets.”
Chahal mentioned that he relishes the entire process of getting batters out in the 50-over format, appreciates the additional time, and particularly enjoys the middle overs. He added:
“In ODIs, the batters can play out your first spell by trying to take singles. So I feel sometimes it is important to play with the batter’s mind. You need to pick wickets in middle overs with an extra fielder in. Sometimes you can bowl wider even if there’s no deep fielder. If you don’t pick wickets in the middle overs, the batting side will score 300-plus every single time.”
It has to be noted that, Yuzvendra Chahal was not included in India’s squad for the ICC World Cup 2023. However, he has made a comeback to the ODI setup for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa.
