South African Legend AB de Villiers recalling an ODI match from India’s tour of South Africa 2018 has funnily said that Yuzvendra Chahal was the actual reason he is retired saying he was Yuzvendra Chahal‘s bunny.
De Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal played together for the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) and share a great bond. Yuzvendra Chahal is a great character on and off the field and is known for the entertainment he provides when he is around.
Yuzvendra Chahal we all know is intelligent- AB de Villiers
Speaking with Chahal on his YouTube channel about a 50-over game in 2018, AB has recalled how he was outfoxed by the leg spinner’s brilliance. De Villiers said,
“I was playing in my home ground in Centurion and I remember it was very hot. I was tired batting on 30-odd and I thought I would get some easy boundaries.
“However, Yuzi we all know is intelligent. He is a chess player. He knew what I was trying to do and zipped one through. I still remember the sound of the bails. So thank you so much for that Yuzi. You were the actual reason why I retired. I am your bunny now (laughs).”
It was a huge boost for me and Kuldeep Yadav- Yuzvendra Chahal on his first tour to South Africa
Chahal also recalled that South African tour saying it was memorable as that was the first time he was travelling abroad to play for the National team. The Leggie also said that the tour was a great confidence booster for him and Kuldeep Yadav. Interestingly, the SA batters were bamboozled by the spin duo of Yuzi and Kuldeep as India won the series 5-1 which is the only series victory for India in SA in the 50-over format. Here’s what Chahal said,
“I still remember my first tour of South Africa in 2018. It was a huge boost for me and Kuldeep because we bowled together for the first time abroad and there was this thought that it would be tough to bowl there. But it was really memorable. Really excited to be coming back after five years,”
I love bounce and wickets in South Africa and Australia- Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal said he enjoys bowling on the bouncy tracks in Australia and South Africa as they allow him to bowl his variations. The Spinner indeed enjoyed his first tour to South Africa picking 16 wickets at 16.38 in six one-day Internationals. Answering De Villiers’ questioning on how he deals with those kinds of pitches Yuzvendra Chahal said,
“I love bounce and wickets in South Africa and Australia have enough bounce. So you can always use variations as a weapon and knowing that batters will try to slog sweep you can always get that top edge. I always try to change my line. I also try to bowl stump-to-stump so when the batter plays, you have a chance,”
The spinner showed good form for his state Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and will be looking to continue it. The Leggie is currently in South Africa with the Indian ODI team and will be interesting to see whether he gets some game time or not.