Yuzvendra Chahal: “I am 100 percent sure I am coming back to RCB”
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India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was not retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), but he is not the least bit concerned.
RCB opted to keep hold of Virat Kohli (INR 17 crore), AB de Villiers (INR 11 crore) and Sarfaraz Khan (INR 1.75 crore).
Despite this, Chahal is confident he will be representing RCB in the upcoming edition of the IPL as he believes the franchise will use a Right To Match (RTM) card to retain his services during the auction, which will be held on January 27 and 28 in Bangalore.
“I am not thinking too much as to what happened in the retention,” he told the The New Indian Express. “I trust RCB. They still have the Right-To-Match card so I am 100 percent sure I am coming back to RCB. However, it also depends on how will it go at the auction.”
Meanwhile, Chahal is preparing for the upcoming ODI series in South Africa. The 27-year-old has played in the Rainbow Nation before with the India A squad, but he admitted that the pitch during the second Test in Centurion was “completely different”.
“I have already played in South Africa with the India A team, but did not play in the main grounds of the country then,” he said. “When I saw the Test match wickets in South Africa (especially the second Test), it was completely different. The ball was spinning and keeping low in the second Test.
“Maybe, in the ODI, with the white ball, it could be a different game. Accordingly, I am practising and training at the NCA.”
In regards to who will pose the biggest threat to India during the ODI series, Chahal was quick to identify South Africa batsman AB de Villiers.
De Villiers has been in excellent form in the ongoing Test series as he is averaging 50 with the bat after the first two Tests.
Given that he has played alongside De Villiers in the IPL, Chahal knows just how destructive the 33-year-old can be.
“He is a player, who plays 360-degree shots,” Chahal added. “I never think who I am bowling at, which is my main strength. If you think AB is at the batting crease, then you will put automatic pressure on you. So I always think whoever is there, I will have to bowl my best.”