India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has 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,” Chahal was quoted as saying in a chat show on Cricbuzz.
“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.
The spinning duo of Kuldeep and Chahal, who are famously known as ‘KulCha’, have been a dominating force for the Indian team in recent times and many believe it’s their off-the-field friendship that helps them in enjoying their performance together on the field and Chahal reflected the same.
“When we’re bowling together, we often strategize before (and sometimes during) the game. We figure out which one of us will attack more, how we’re going to complement each other, and how we’re going to get the better of the batsmen. I would say our strategy succeeds almost 90% of the time. That’s how well we work together.,” the 29-year-old said.
Amid their everlasting bond, there is one thing about Kuldeep that irritates Chahal. “He is on his phone way too often which can get really irritating. In fact, you should ask him who he talks to so much,” the leg-spinner concluded.
Chahal made his international debut in 2016 in an ODI against Zimbabwe. Since then, he has featured in 52 ODIs and 42 T20Is and taken 91 and 55 wickets respectively. Kuldeep, on the other hand, has played six Tests, 60 ODIs and 41 T20Is. The chinaman spinner has 24 red-ball scalps, 105 50-overs and 39 T20I wickets under his name.