'Do whatever you want to do, be focused on whatever you are doing' - Rahul Dravid's message for Yuzvendra Chahal ahead of Sri Lanka tour

Ever since Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian side touring Sri Lanka, the cricketing world is all raring. Everybody is eager to watch the action unfold under the watchful eyes of Dravid. The experts and players have all come to put their thoughts on it, whereas the Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is the latest to open up about his experience of working under Dravid.

Having an experienced coach like Dravid in the side would definitely be an enriching moment for all the players. Chahal has had a lean patch recently and would be keen to cement his spot in the Indian side. However, having enough exposure in the International arena, Chahal would be instrumental in guiding the young players in the side who are touring for the first time. Yuzvendra Chahal, thus. talked about the valuable inputs and advice he received from Dravid ahead of the tour.

“He said, do whatever you want to do, be focused on whatever you are doing. He told me, you are a senior and need to guide the youngsters in the team. Also, he said the series is important for me and I am focused on that only,” Chahal stated in a virtual press conference.

When I bowl, I only focus on how to get batsmen out: Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has proved his flair with the ball in ODIs previously but has seemed to struggle a bit with the white ball recently. Though he has played a lot of T20 games ahead of this tour, this opportunity is nothing short of an acid test for him to make a comeback and earn his spot back in the team. When asked about the transition between T20s and ODIs, Chahal said that it won’t quite be an issue.

“Yeah…I am playing an ODI series after a long time. We already played two practice matches here. ODIs are different compared to T20s. I have played 50-plus (ODI) matches, so it should not be an issue. “And when I bowl, I only focus on how to get batsmen out. That’s it,” he added

India is all set to battle it out against Sri Lanka in three ODIs and as many T20Is. However, the matches were slightly pushed forward after Covid-19 cases were found in Sri-Lanka’s camp. The first ODI is now set to be played on July 18.