Chahal and Ashwin were roped in by RR at the mega auction
Rajasthan Royals (RR) ace Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up on his newfound chemistry with fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
The duo were picked by the inaugural winners for a combined bargain sum of ₹11.5 crore at the Indian Premier league (IPL) mega auction 2022.
The leg-spinner has been on song for his new franchise and is the current Purple Cap holder as well.
While his veteran partner has not been among the wickets, he has helped control the middle overs and forged a good partnership with Chahal.
Speaking about how he prepared his strategy with Ashwin in between matches, Chahal said ahead of RR’s clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
“I definitely plan with Ashwin. Whenever we are in the nets, we talk about the previous match and what we could have done better and also about the next match, which delivery to bowl to which batter, we watch videos together, so in that way, the planning is done.”
The leg-spinner has 12 wickets under his belt at an economy of 6.80. Meanwhile, Ashwin has managed just one wicket at an economy rate of 7.15.
“I am used to bowling with the shorter boundary” – Yuzvendra Chahal
The upcoming contest against KKR marks RR’s first contest at the Brabourne Stadium.
The farthest surface is being used for the crucial match. One square boundary measures upto 79 meters while its opposite end is only 66 meters.
Speaking about the prospect of having to bowl with a shorter boundary, Chahal said:
“I am used to bowling with the shorter boundary. He is an off-spinner, so he will need the bigger boundaries against the right-hand batters. So, we plan according to the situation and sometimes you will have to bowl with the bigger boundary as a leg-spinner as well.”
The 31-year-old concluded by stating that he loves to make the batters dance to his tune.
“I like to make the batters dance more than dancing myself.”
RR have been put in to bat by KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer. The side have made three changes to their playing XI from their loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Trent Boult, Karun Nair and Obed McCoy have come into the playing XI at the expense of Kuldeep Sen, Rassie van der Dussen and Jimmy Neesham.
