After India finished an emphatic nine-wicket win over Pakistan on Sunday, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said that it was the bowlers who set the tone for the tweakers to follow and eventually restrict Pakistan to just 237 runs in the first innings.
“The new-ball bowlers usually bowl seven to eight overs before we spinners come into the attack, and the pressure they build on the batsmen with the new ball – they concede not more than 20-25 runs – helps us plan our line of attack as to where to bowl to maintain that pressure,” Chahal who took 2/46 said as quoted by The Indian Express.
“Because if you don’t give away boundaries in this format, the batsmen will inevitably be under pressure,” he added further.
Pakistan, after winning the toss and opting to bat first indeed got off to a very slow star-a statement that can be explained by the fact that Pakistan could hit only four boundaries in the first 15 overs.
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Both the openers were dismissed by the leggies. While Chahal had Imam trapped in front of the wicket, Kuldeep sent back Fakhar Zaman to reduce Pakistan to 55/2.
Chahal, nonetheless, said that he is comfortable to bowl with the field restrictions on, something which he has learnt while bowling in T20s.
“I have bowled quite a lot during the Powerplay in the IPL [Indian Premier League] and T20s, so this isn’t anything new for me,” he said. “I keep practising for it in the nets and vary my pace and lengths according to the wicket,” Chahal added.
While the Indian spinners made merry, their Pakistani counterparts put on a below par show. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz bowled a total of 15 overs where they conceded 88 runs. Chahal later added that both Rohit and Dhawan put the pressure on their spinners.
“Our batsmen put their bowlers under pressure right from the word go,” he said.
“At times, when batsmen are not under pressure, it becomes easy to face the bowlers. And on this wicket, you have got to vary your lines and lengths. I think they have been doing that, but the situation here was slightly different in that we were 150 without loss, and that’s why (Pakistan’s) bowlers were also down mentally,” he stated that.