In a very short span of time, Chahal has spun his web in the cricket world to a great effect and his unique action has helped him to dominate with the ball.
Yuzvendra Chahal file image. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS)
Yuzvendra Chahal, who has emerged to become one of India’s most-recognised cricketers for his on-field performances and off-field antics, is perhaps best known for his wicket-taking abilities.
In a very short span of time, he has spun his web in the cricket world to a great effect and it is his unique action that acts as a catalyst to his dominance with the ball.
But before he found his perfect bowling action, Chahal said that he was a medium pacer and then copied Shane Warne for a long time.
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“I was happy bowling medium pace. But my father realized that I didn’t have the body for a medium pacer and told me to try spin bowling instead. And that’s how the trajectory of my career changed,” Chahal said in a chat show on Cricbuzz.
“Like most leg-spinners, I was obsessed with Shane Warne’s action. When I started playing U-14 cricket for Haryana, my action was exactly like his. In fact, I had the same action until I was 19,” he added.
However, the 29-year-old further explained that after obsessing over the Australian legend for a while, he realised that he needed to have something of his own and discovered his own action that has given him so much success.
“At the age of 19, I realized that something needed to change — and that’s when I started taking my run-up. The bowl started spinning less, but the accuracy of my bowling improved tremendously. And that’s how I arrived at my own trademark style,” the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player said.
Speaking in the same show, Chahal had given an unheard insight into his bowling partner Kuldeep Yadav’s life and also revealed how long their friendship dates back.
“We got to know each other way back in 2012 when we were both on the Mumbai Indians squad. We were usually on the bench, but that’s how we became really close — goofing off, getting to know each other.
“So, when we started playing for India, it wasn’t a fake bond that we were trying to force — we had already been friends for 7-8 years by then,” he added.
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