Kohli lauds efforts of Mishra, Chahal

Bench strength gives skipper chance to rest his key players

Good bench strength is extremely vital for continuous success. With so much cricket being played these days, top players, bowlers especially, need adequate rest and recovery time to avoid injuries and stay fresh for the bigger battles.

During such times when the best practioners are rested, the team needs the back-up bowlers to deliver the goods. India, who have been extremely busy since the tour of West Indies last July, have had to call upon the reserves on various occasions and more often than not they’ve delivered beyond expectations.

Off-spinner Jayant Yadav was a revelation in the England Test series while the absence of lead acts Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja was hardly felt in the T20I series against the same opponents as veteran Amit Mishra and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal rose to the occasion in superb fashion. The 26-year-old Chahal, knowing he needs to make the most of the limited chances that comes his way, bamboozled England with a 6/25 haul in the final T20I to walk away with the man of the match and series honours.

Skipper Virat Kohli, delighted at the spin riches at his disposal, felt it allows him the luxury of playing bowlers for specific formats. “It is really good. See guys like Chahal and Mishy (Mishra), who has done well for us in limited overs and in Tests also. Jayant (Yadav) too came in beautifully and did very well for us in the Tests. It gives us an opportunity to rest Ashwin and Jadeja whenever we want. There is no harm in using them as Test specialists and keeping them fresh. Guys like Chahal and Mishra and (Parvez) Rasool are bowling so well. So we have a lot of spinners who are not only run-containing bowlers but also wicket-taking bowlers.”

Kohli lavished special praise on his Royal Challengers Bangalore colleague Chahal. “I always back someone like Chahal. In the IPL too, I use him in most of the matches. He never says no to bowling with the new ball or bowling in the middle overs, so having a guy like this is great. He doesn't say no to any situation. He and Mishra both have an attacking mindset. All I tell them is go for the wickets, even if you get hit for a six, no big deal. Having them as next line of spinners is a great thing for us.”