Yuzvendra Chahal will again be central to Punjab Kings’ plans when they face Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, with assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves insisting the leg-spinner’s relentless drive is what makes him so “dangerous” heading into the IPL contest.
Chahal has an outstanding record against KKR in the IPL and his head-to-head battles with skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh, all of whom have historically found him difficult to handle, loom as a key subplot.
“Yuzvendra Chahal is a very dangerous name in Indian cricket. And overseas, he is even more dangerous,” Gonsalves said on the eve of their IPL match against KKR.
“What I have seen in the last couple of years is that he is so serious, both on and off the field.
He just wants to get going and win games for the side.”
The experienced leg-spinner has already underlined his value this season, striking with his variations and flight, dismissing Shubman Gill among others, and also removing Jos Buttler in a composed spell of 2/28 in their opening fixture against the Gujarat Titans.
He then produced another disciplined performance versus Chennai Super Kings, finishing with 1/21 from three overs and claiming the wicket of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to keep the innings in check.
For KKR, Rahane’s numbers against Chahal remain modest, with just 46 runs across 10 IPL innings at a strike rate of 102, and he has been dismissed by the leg-spinner on four occasions.
Rinku has accumulated only 15 runs in three innings while falling twice to him, and the young Raghuvanshi has also been sent back two times in three meetings.
Gonsalves highlighted that Chahal’s unrelenting preparation is what sets him apart.
“He has been at every practice session, every single camp. He is the front-runner in all those camps and the most involved guy in this set-up,” he said.
“It’s always like he just wants to perform; he wants to be the top guy for the side. That’s the kind of commitment he brings.”
(With PTI Inputs)
