Chahal's pehal for the game

Spin bowler Yuzvendra Chahal’s two loves are cricket and chess. But cricket has taken precedence lately for obvious reasons. Says the 26-year-old Haryana boy, “I love playing both games but now I concentrate more on cricket as I want to cement my place in the team.”

He then goes on to list his favourite sports stars, “Viswanathan Anand is my favourite chess player and Australia’s Shane Warne is my idol in cricket. I have met Warne on a few occasions when he played in the IPL. I still love him. I am keen to meet him and seek advice on my bowling.”

The lad who started playing cricket at a very young age and represented his district and BCCI’s Under-14 teams recalls, “I learnt more about bowling from Anil Kumble when he was coaching the Mumbai Indians team. I have benefited from several sessions with the team,” says Chahal, who adds that the IPL has been a great platform for emerging players of the country.

The BA graduate’s (Punjab University) obsession with the game is so much that he has even met former India spinners Narendra Hirwani and Maninder Singh and sought their guidance to improve his bowling. And he is also in touch with Australia’s Andrew Symonds. “I am in his WhatsApp group since the time he was with Mumbai Indians. He may seem to be a very aggressive player on field, but is a nice chap off field. My father (KK Chahal) and mother (Sunita) are my greatest inspirations,” says the son, adding, “When not playing cricket or training, I prefer to stay at home.”

Talking about chess, his father KK Chahal recalls his son’s affinity for the thinking game and his cricketing skills, proudly, “He started playing chess at seven and became the Junior India champion (Under-12) on December 31, 2002. In October 2003, he was selected to represent India in the World Junior Chess championship. In 2011, while playing in the Under-19 cricket team, Chahal was the highest wicket-taker and had grabbed five wickets without conceding a single run against Tripura, and took 13 wickets in a match against Mumbai and eight against Himachal Pradesh and also scored 153 and 56 runs in the same match.”

It was then that Yuzvendra got an opportunity to play in the IPL and was also selected in the Haryana Ranji Trophy team. “Yuz played three seasons (2011, 2012 and 2013) for Mumbai Indians and used to travel between Delhi and Mumbai for training and practice; He has been playing for the Royal Challengers since 2014. Being a basic player and not up for auction, he makes Rs 10 lakh per season. I have been looking after his investments as he is busy playing. We have bought two houses in Delhi and Gurgaon and the rest of the money is invested in insurance schemes,” adds the senior Chahal with candour and simplicity.

“Whenever Dhoni is in Delhi, they play together. Dhoni is a very cool-minded man and my son will learn a lot from him on the Zimbabwe tour,” adds the father and about Virat Kohli? The senior Chahal says, “Virat Kohli has great confidence in my son’s ability. He uses him during powerplay, and my son always tries to prove his skills on the field.”