XtraTime Web Desk: The current Indian cricket team will heavily be relying on skipper Virat Kohli and legendary wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni to win the World Cup after 8 years when the ICC Cricket World Cup will start from May 30 in England & Wales. India’s ace leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal feels that with Kohli & Dhoni in the side the Men in Blue will surely do well in England.”With captain (Virat) Kohli and the legendary (MS) Dhoni in the side, I am sure India will do well in the World Cup,” said Chahal while talking to TOI.
In the last edition of World Cup back in 2015, Ravichandran Ashwin led the spin department, but this time it will be on the young shoulders of Yuzvendra Chahal & Kuldeep Yadav along with veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Chahal his eager to give his best in his first World Cup.
“Trust is the biggest thing between me and Kuldeep. We trust each other. Just like batsmen do in their partnerships, Kuldeep and I do while bowling. We have good coordination and the best part is that we understand each other,” Chahal told TOI.
“We (Kuldeep and I) discuss plans with each other and implement those with the help of our seniors, especially (Virat) Kohli bhai and (MS Dhoni) Mahi bhai. We will do the same in the World Cup,” he said.
Chahal feels that his early experience of playing in England will help him again this time in World Cup.
“I have played cricket in England. I am aware of the conditions. When I played in England (in 2018), the conditions were favourable for the spinners. I am sure spinners will do well this time. Bowling in English conditions isn’t that easy,” Chahal said.
“I am very excited for my maiden World Cup. I have worked really hard for this moment. It is every cricketer’s dream to play in the World Cup and for me it is going to come true. Obviously, there is pressure but I am ready to give my best,” he said.
Cricket pundits have already tagged India, the 1983 and 2011 champions as one of the big favourites in the mega event and Chahal echoes that sentiment.
“For me, India are number one. We have a balanced and strong team. We have the best team. Apart from us, England are strong, because they are the hosts and they have played good cricket recently. Australia and New Zealand are the other teams who can be very competitive in my opinion,” the 28-year-old told.
“I know, there are lots of expectations from us. Again, the pressure is there but I know how to handle it. You should know how to handle pressure and this is what I have learnt over the years. At this moment, the focus is very important. I am not thinking about anything else right now. Only the World Cup is on my mind. I just want to go and perform,” Chahal said.
“In the previous matches (against England in England), I committed mistakes and then learnt from those as well,” he said.
India won the World Cup title in 1983 under the captaincy of the legendary Kapil Dev and then repeated the historic feat in 2011 under MS Dhoni’s leadership.
Chahal is confident that India, who will be captained by Virat Kohli this time, will do what the Dhoni-led Indian team did in 2011.
“If you look at India’s batting line-up, it looks really strong. We have openers Rohit (Sharma) and (Shikhar) Dhawan who can give you a decent start. Kohli, Rahul, Dhoni, Jadeja are there in the middle. Our bowling is also strong. (Mohammed) Shami, (Jasprit) Bumrah, Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) make a great bowling line-up. I think India have a good chance of winning the Cup.,” Chahal said.