‘Iss build ke saath toh nahi hoga’ – Yuzvendra Chahal recalls father’s advice to switch from fast bowling to spin

Veteran India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal recalled how his father advised him to switch from being a fast bowler to a full-time leg-spinner during his formative years. Notably, Chahal has established himself as one of the best spinners currently, having bagged a truckload of wickets for India and his IPL franchises. 

However, during an interview, Chahal recalled that he began his career as a fast bowler and it was his father, who advised him to switch to spin bowling. He further elaborated on his U-14 days and how leg-spin came naturally to him.

“Earlier, I was a fast bowler in school. I am talking about when I was 6-7 years old. Dad used to play for a university. In fact, he was even university captain for five years. I was a fast bowler, but dad told me, ‘Iss build ke saath toh nahi hoga’ [You cannot become one with this build]. Then, I started bowling leg-spin,” Chahal told on ‘The Ranveer Show’.

“It’s not like I saw someone, it just happened automatically. I started bowling leg-spin from the age of eight. When I was 10 years old, I played U-14 for the first time for Haryana. From there, professional cricket started. It’s been like 23 years now,” he added.

The 32-year-old leggie has appeared in 72 ODIs and 75 T20Is and has claimed 121 and 91 wickets, respectively. In addition to this, Chahal is also the highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL, having taken 187 wickets in 145 matches.

MS Dhoni told me to bowl off-spin once: Yuzvendra Chahal

The India spinner also recalled the time when former skipper MS Dhoni asked him to bowl off-spin during a match against Sri Lanka in 2017. However, he stated that he no longer continued with it as it adds pressure and brings about changes in the body.

“I have bowled off-spin as well in international cricket. Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni] told me to do it once. In 2017, we were playing in Sri Lanka and a left-hander was batting. He asked me whether I can bowl off-spin in between. I replied that I haven’t even bowled it in the nets,” told Chahal.

“He still told me to try it. I bowled a couple of deliveries and then said let it be. Bowling off-spin suddenly in international cricket is not easy. The body gets tight because you think a lot and are under pressure. That short ball happens because of this,” he added.