Dinesh Karthik, the veteran Indian wicket-keeper batsman, recently opened up Yuzvendra Chahal and lauded the leg spinner for showing a lot of “character” despite not making the cut for the T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and the UAE. Selectors preferred young Rahul Chahar over veteran Chahal due to his speed and height. However, this move didn’t work out well for team India.
Since 2017, Yuzvendra Chahal has been India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is. In fact, he was India’s overall leading wicket-taker until recently where Ashwin reclaimed his throne.
After getting dropped, Chahal had an exceptional IPL in UAE where he never went wicketless in any game. He even picked up the man of the match awards on a couple of occasions. Thereafter, the 31-year-old made his way back into the Indian team for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. After missing the Jaipur and Ranchi T20Is, the chess master got a chance in the third and final match at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
In that game, he finished with figures of 4-0-26-1 as India won by 73 runs after bowling the opposition out for 111 in 17.2 overs. Karthik, who last played for India in the 2019 World Cup, said that because Chahal has played chess, he’s a few steps ahead of the rest.
Dinesh Karthik backs Chahal to retain his place in RCB
While speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik praised Chahal’s character and lauded him for bowling exceptionally well in the IPL.
“Great to see him come back. And he showed his character. The way he bowled in the second leg of IPL; he was an absolute champion. I always rate him very high because he is also a chess player and they are always a couple of moves ahead than normal people,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Karthik also talked about how Chahal has grown leaps and bounds in his career after RCB roped him in at a price of INR 10 lakhs in the auction a few seasons ago. He feels RCB will retain the veteran leggie.
“And that is always a special attribute for me. He’s got good skills, good variations, and is a brave bowler and he has single-handedly grown in stature in IPL. He was bought for INR 10 lakhs by RCB in 2013, and now he is beyond what it is and that shows he has improved over time and has shown his value. I’m sure he will be retained by the franchise,” he stated.
Karthik also backed Chahal to take part in next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. “He is also a very good bowler abroad as well, a very important attribute to keep in mind when India travels to Australia for the next T20 World Cup,” Karthik added.
Highlights:
• Dinesh Karthik praises Chahal for making a comeback
• Karthik backs Chahal to be retained by RCB and be a part of the Indian team in the World Cup next year
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