It is heavenly playing here in the UAE: Yuzvendra Chahal

Royal Challengers Bangalore have begun their Dream11 Indian Premier League campaign on a positive note with two wins from three matches. The Bengaluru-based side has seemingly found balance in their squad. Over the past six seasons, Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal has been wrecker-in-chief for RCB’s bowling unit.

Speaking at an online media interaction, Yuzvendra Chahal who has scalped more than 100 wickets in the IPL for RCB, hailed UAE pitches as “heaven” for a bowler like himself. "It is heavenly playing here. We play half (seven) of our matches at Chinnaswamy but here only three matches in Sharjah (which is also a small ground). With the side boundaries (in Dubai and Abu Dhabi), you can flight a little bit more.”

"In small grounds, if the wicket is turning it is hard to put you away. Here the wickets are fine but with bigger boundaries, batsmen really need to middle you to hit that six. Even a short ball can give you a wicket,” he explained.

The 30-year-old also talked about the camaraderie with his new RCB spin comrade, Adam Zampa.

"We (Zampa and Chahal) are always talking, not only in the nets. I have been observing his bowling style ever since he came into the Australian team. Anyway, I was trying to bowl quicker googlies this IPL along with the slower ones. That gives less chance to the batsman to hit me," he said.

"If you are bowling leg-spin from the fourth or fifth stump, from there you can bowl googly and the batsman think the leg-spin is coming so he has to read from my hand only. If they are not reading there will be problems for sure,” he added.

Having two of the best modern-day batsmen playing for the same team can really make a positive impact on the team.

"Being able to bowl to Virat bhaiya and AB sir also helps. They give me feedback about the right line and length. AB sir has told me to bowl googlies depending on the situation," he remarked.

"We have a more balanced side this season, especially bowling. It is not just me, everyone is getting a different feeling, the one we had in 2016. There is positivity coming from everyone."

What effect does it have on a cricketer after a six-month-long unprecedented break?

"During lockdown, I only practised for 10 days. Before first match, I was worried about my rhythm as I had not bowled for six months. I was nervous but after my first over, the nerves were settled. I was not sure if I would be able to bowl my variations but the first game performance gave me a lot of confidence," he concluded.

[With PTI inputs]