Yuzvendra Chahal and Mayank Agarwal
Coming into the squad as Ravindra Jadeja's concussion substitute for the first T20I against Australia, Yuzvendra Chahal delivered a match-winning performance on Friday. The leg-spinner registered three scalps including prized wickets of Aaron Finch and Steve Smith to derail Australia's run-chase. Chahal, who etched 3/25 in his four overs, was also adjudged Man of the Match for his impressive bowling show.
Chahal was slotted into the squad after Jadeja endured a blow on his helmet during his 23-ball 44 onslaught. The left-hander was struck off Mitchell Starc's short ball in the first innings and the team management decided to bring in Chahal for him.
Following his match-winning exploits with the ball, Chahal himself was the guest on his popular show 'Chahal TV'. He was interviewed by Mayank Agarwal in the clip released by the BCCI. Both the players recapped India's 11-run victory against the hosts.
Chahal said that it was an amazing feeling to put up an impressive show. "We played T20 cricket for over two months in the IPL. I had played 14-15 matches in the tournament and was ready to bowl my four overs. It was easier than ODIs where I had to bowl 10 overs," Chahal told Mayank.
The leg-spinner also said that he had observed Adam Zampa's bowling tactics in the ODI series. Instead of giving flight to the batsmen, Chahal said that his plan was to bowl dot balls. "I made sure that I don't repeat the mistakes which I committed in ODI series. I aimed to flight the ball and take wickets in the ODIs. But in T20Is, I tried to bowl dot balls so that they step out and take chances against me," he further said.
"I had seen videos to realize that no one was strong on the off side. The boundary at the off side was long and I tried to pitch it there instead of bowling at the wickets," Chahal concluded.
Batting first, India were jolted with an early blow after Shikhar Dhawan was sent back in the third over. Skipper Virat Kohli was also shown the exit door on 9. KL Rahul, however, stuck in the middle and hit a crucial half-century to keep the scoreboard ticking before Jadeja's carnage.
In response, Australia were restricted to 150 by Chahal and T Natarajan. Chahal and Natarajan scalped three wickets each to dent Australia's run-flow. After starting the T20I affair on a positive note in Canberra, India will head back to Sydney for the second match on Sunday.
