Our pacers did the damage, says Chahal

DUBAI: India’s young spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had an impressive outing in his team’s emphatic nine-wicket triumph against Pakistan.

Chahal took 2-46 in the Asia Cup mismatch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium but gave all the credit to his team’s pacers for building ample pressure on the Pakistani top order.

“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 told reporters in a post-match press conference.

“Because if you don’t give away boundaries in this format, the batsmen will inevitably be under pressure.”Chahal was introduced in the eighth over, inside the first Powerplay, and responded immediately by trapping Imam-ul-Haq in front of the wickets. He said he is now comfortable with bowling with field restrictions given how much he has bowled in the Powerplay in Twenty20 cricket.

“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.”

However, while the three Indian spinners were effective, returning four wickets between them, their Pakistani counterparts in Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan weren’t quite so.

Khan was particularly expensive, giving away 54 runs in eight overs. Chahal attributed it to the pressure Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma – they added 210 runs for the first wicket and both of them scored centuries – had already created on the opposition by the time spinners came on to bowl.

“Our batsmen put their bowlers under pressure right from the word go,” Chahal 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.”