Sourav Ganguly Credits IPL For Yuzvendra Chahal’s Success
Jan 20, 2019 at 2:52 PM
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has called England nemesis in 3rd T20I and youngster Yuzvendra Chahal as an Indian Premier League (IPL) product and gave credit to the cash-rich league for latter’s rise in international cricket.
On Wednesday, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up six wickets to help India win the decider by 75 runs and seal the three-match series 2-1. With those figures, he became the first Indian bowler to bag five or more wickets in a T20I game, but remains third in the list for best bowling numbers overall. Only Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka has better figures than him; 6/8 vs Zimbabwe in 2012 and 6/16 vs Australia in 2011.
England, who looked likely to put their hands on the trophy after starting good, scummed to their new low, by losing eight wickets for just 8 runs and in a span off 19 balls, on which England captain Eoin Morgan said, ‘Our batting performance was possibly the worst in the last two years.’
Speaking to India Today, Sourav Ganguly said Chahal got better by playing in the IPL and since he plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore, he knew the nature of the wicket well. Calling his efforts as terrific, Sourav tagged him as the product of the cash-rich league and further added the IPL has given many prospering talents to the Indian team in past too.
“Chahal is also a Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler. So, he knows this surface as much as anybody else does. T20 cricket has been a product of the IPL and Chahal has been a product of the IPL. He has got better and better by bowling in the IPL. He knows exactly what to do. It’s a terrific effort. IPL has had great effects on India’s T20 side and you have seen a lot of players come out of that format and do well for India.”
Ganguly, who in past has tasted success against England, said Indian produced an outstanding performance to get the better of visitors. He said the hosts gained the momentum after Jasprit Bumrah’s last over heroics in Nagpur were all the more different at M. Chinnaswamy on Wednesday night. Likewise in the second game, Jasprit took three wickets in Bengaluru to get to a wicket tally to five in the series.
Ganguly also took a dig at England saying they haven’t improved their game against spinners in sub-continent conditions since 2012, where they were all out for 80 runs in the T20 World Cup, giving away six wickets to spinners collectively.
“India were outstanding tonight (Wednesday). After that over of Jasprit Bumrah in Nagpur in the previous game, they were a different side. They just smashed England out. When you get 202 run on the board, very seldom you lose cricket matches. England were not good and they haven’t been good for a long, long while except 2012.”
India won the Tests, ODI and T20I series against England and will now gear up for the one-off Test against Bangladesh, starting February 9.