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Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Rajasthan Royals (RR) spinner Yuzvendra Chahal opened up on becoming the first player to take 200 wickets in the league, what playing chess has taught him and ageing as a cricketer and a person.
Table-toppers RR and LSG will clash at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium. RR is at the top of the points table with seven wins and a loss, giving them 14 points. LSG is at the fourth spot, with 10 points after securing five wins and facing three losses. Chahal, who recently became the first-ever player to get 200 IPL wickets, will be a key part of the RR playing XI in this game. Speaking in a video posted by the IPL's official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Chahal said on taking 200 wickets, "It is a big achievement. I never thought I would reach the top. Right now, the focus is on the team, what I can do to win the games for them and take wickets." https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1784106342539784479 The veteran Indian spinner reached this milestone during the IPL match against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Sawai Man Singh Stadium on April 22. This incredible moment in Chahal's cricketing career came during the eighth over of the game. Chahal caught and bowled Afghanistan and MI all-rounder Mohammed Nabi for 23 runs to bring up his double century of wickets. In 153 matches, Chahal has taken 200 wickets at an average of 21.37, with the best figures of 5/40. He has taken six four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul during his IPL career. Chahal played for Mumbai Indians (2011-13), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) (2014-21) before joining Rajasthan Royals in 2022. While he had no wickets for MI in the only match he played, he took 139 wickets for RCB in 113 matches. Now for RR, he has taken 61 wickets in 39 matches. Chahal said that playing chess, something he did at Youth level for India, has given him patience in his cricket. He said that he often enjoys games of chess with compatriot Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Buttler. "Chess has given me patience. Sometimes you do not get wickets on good balls. It goes on for matches. Just like you plan your moves in chess, the same goes for cricket and you have to stay a step ahead of batters," he added. Chahal, currently 34 years of age, said that he has matured with age but that does not stop him from still being a fun-loving guy who pulls pranks on his teammates. "I have not changed a lot. Maybe I am a little older and got a little more beard. I have mostly stayed the same, fun-loving, prank-doing guy. Maybe, I should have batted more (laughs)," he added. (ANI)
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