Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and his bowling partner Kuldeep Yadav have time and again talked about former skipper MS Dhoni’s huge role in their development at the highest level. Kul-Cha, as they are popularly known, formed a formidable spin-bowling pair for India for a few years. However, their success rate went down after Dhoni retired and they didn’t get the required backing from the team management.
Talking about a particular incident, Chahal opened up about how Dhoni wasn’t too bothered about his form even if he went for a few runs in a game or two. Chahal said that Dhoni backed him and asked him to handle the situation calmly.
In a T20I in 2018 against South Africa, Chahal bowled his most expensive spell in the shortest format when the Proteas batsmen plundered 64 runs off his four overs, out of which wicket-keeper Heinrich Klassen accumulated 41 off just 12 balls bowled by the leggie. However, no plan was working for him on the day and revealed what Dhoni said during his spell.
Speaking to veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on his Youtube channel, Chahal said, “Once, I got hit for 64 runs in a T20I against South Africa in 2018; (Heinrich) Klaasen had smashed me all over the park. Then Mahi (Dhoni) bhai had asked me to come around the wicket. I did exactly that but he hit me for a six over the biggest boundary at mid-wicket.
“Then Mahi bhai came to me and I said, ‘Yes Mahi bhai, ab kya karna hai? (What should I do now?). He said ‘Kuch nahi, mai to waisehi aagaya tere paas (Nothing, I just came to check upon you). I know it’s not your day, you are trying but it isn’t happening. Zyada sochna nahi, apne chaar ka quota khatam kar aur chill kar (Don’t think too much, just finish your four overs and chill.”
Chahal said if someone had talked to him angrily or had scolded a bowler at that point, it could have an adverse effect on his confidence but Dhoni knew how to handle it when the bowler was having a bad day.
“If someone scolds you at that time, your confidence goes down even further. But he told me that it’s just one match as you did so well in ODIs. I also realized that in cricket sometimes you do well and sometimes you don’t,” he further added.
The duo of Chahal and Kuldeep is set to reunite after both were named in the ODI squad for the series against West Indies, starting in Ahmedabad on February 6.
