The 33-year-old spinner, who didn’t get the opportunity to play a single match in the three-match ODI series, bounced back and made his mark in the first T20I, removing openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers to finish with figures of 2/24.
The leg-spinner insists he hasn’t thought too far ahead on a personal front given the imminent Asia Cup and World Cup campaigns (both ODI competitions), instead focusing on the importance of finding the ideal XI, irrespective of if he fits in.
“At present I need to perform well in the four matches. I think about one step at a time. After this series we’ll have a camp and then the team will be announced. I am not thinking about Asia Cup or World Cup now,” Chahal told reporters ahead of the second T20Is.
“At 7 we generally play Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel. Three spinners can only play if the wickets are spin friendly. Kuldeep is bowling really well, he is in a great rhythm and that’s why the team is backing him. I keep working on nets so that whenever I get the chance I will grab it. Team combination is our priority and it is not something new,” he added.
Chahal also said that cricket is a team sport and it’s not possible to get the chance to play all the matches.
“We are professional cricketers. I was playing after two months, last I played was in the IPL. It is all about the preparation. This is not an individual sport, you are playing here for your team. There are times when players have to sit out for two series, so it doesn’t mean that they are not part of the team,” he said.
“I am very happy that I am getting to wear the blue jersey everyday. I am not sitting at home. I am travelling with the team. I am part of the team.
I have played chess, it is an individual game but cricket is a team sport. Out of fifteen people in the squad only eleven can play. In the past few series, when I was playing Kuldeep was not getting the chances,” he added.
India fell by four runs against the hosts in Trinidad, unable to chase 150 on the slow Tarouba surface, curtailed by the hosts’ wily pace attack, who claimed six of the tourists’ wickets.
Chahal believes better is to come in the T20Is in Guyana, even with limited knowledge of conditions in Providence. He is confident that the team will bounce back in the second game.
“We still have four matches to play. I think we must also give credit to the West Indies because they played better cricket. We always think that if you are playing against the West Indies, you are going to win 5-0. It’s not true. It is all about who perform better on the given day,” he said.
“We lost by four runs but we played good cricket. We will bounce back in the second match. Last time when I was here in 2019, it was washed out. I have watched a couple of CPL matches but that’s completely different. We will look at the wicket and how it’s going to play,” he added.
–IANS
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