Yuzvendra Chahal can go wide of the crease to be more effective, feels Mushtaq Ahmed
Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has opined that Yuzvendra Chahal can use the crease a bit more to be more effective and suggested the leggie to go wide of the crease. Mushtaq further added that going wide of the crease would mean that the chance of picking wickets on googlies will increase.
A leg-spinner of the traditional mould, Chahalās main quality lies in the fact that he challenges the outside edge of the right-hander with significant spin, and the threat is so much more when he puts a significant amount of drift on the ball. The control factor has given him a lot of success in the last three years as an international bowler, but Mushtaq Ahmed, one of the greatest ever leg-spinners the world has ever seen, feels the Haryana lad can go wide of the crease to be more effective in ODIs.
"Chahal is a very good bowler but can use the crease much better. He can go wide of the crease at times. You got to be smart enough to understand pitches. If it is a flat pitch, you can bowl stump to stump," Ahmed, one of the best leg-spinners Pakistan has produced, told PTI.
"If the ball is gripping, you can go wide of the crease because you can trouble even the best of batsmen with that angle. That way your googly also doesn't turn as much as the batsman expects and you end up taking a wicket."
With India adopting a strategy of using leg-spinners more in the limited-overs cricket, a trend is emerging slowly as far as the production level at the domestic arena is concerned. Mushtaq believes that a lot about the leg-spin depends on the fieldset and has confidence that Kohli can do the same thing as Dhoni in regards to utilising the resources on the field.
"You have got to be one step ahead of the batsman. You should know your field position as per the batsman's strength. I always say attack with fielders not with the ball. If you understand that theory, you will always be successful. India has become a force to reckon with in all three formats as it uses its bowlers really well. Dhoni was a master at getting the best out of his bowlers in limited-overs cricket and now you have Virat Kohli,ā the 49-year-old added.