‘He is a chess player, and a couple of moves ahead of normal people’ – Dinesh Karthik lauds ‘champion’ Yuzvendra Chahal

Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has heaped praises on Yuzvendra Chahal for showing a lot of “character” despite not making the cut for the T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and the UAE. The national selectors picked young leg-spinner Rahul Chahar instead of Chahal for the mega event and the move didn’t work out as India couldn’t go beyond the Super 12.

After getting sidelined, Chahal bowled exceptionally well for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second leg of IPL 2021. Thereafter, the 31-year-old made his way back into the Indian team for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand. After missing the Jaipur and Ranchi T20Is, the tweaker got a chance in the third and final match at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

In that game, he finished with figures of 4-0-26-1 as India won by 73 runs after bowling the opposition out for 111 in 17.2 overs. Karthik, who last played for India in the 2019 World Cup, said that because Chahal has played chess, he’s a few steps ahead of the rest.

He has single-handedly grown in stature in IPL, says Dinesh Karthik

“Great to see him come back. And he showed his character. The way he bowled in the second leg of IPL; he was an absolute champion. I always rate him very high because he is also a chess player and they are always a couple of moves ahead than normal people,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.

Karthik also talked about how Chahal has grown leaps and bounds in his career after RCB roped him in at a price of INR 10 lakhs in the auction a few seasons ago.

“And that is always a special attribute for me. He’s got good skills, good variations and is a brave bowler and he has single-handedly grown in stature in IPL. He was bought for INR 10 lakhs by RCB in 2013, and now he is beyond what it is and that shows he has improved over time and has shown his value. I’m sure he will be retained by the franchise,” he stated.

Karthik also backed Chahal to take part in next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. “He is also a very good bowler abroad as well, a very important attribute to keep in mind when India travel to Australia for the next T20 World Cup,” Karthik added.