Yuzvendra Chahal, who shares a special bond with the Chinnaswamy stadium, was surprised by the nature of the wicket here last season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore's strike bowler, like many, found the surface slow and low which was unlike the one witnessed in Bengaluru in the past seasons. Strangely, the leg-spinner was upbeat about the pitch assisting the batsmen this season. And he has a reason or two to think so.
"Last year the pitches were totally different. They were not the ones that we had seen in Chinnaswamy. This year it seems much better. You can expect at least a couple of 200 plus totals. In fact, I prefer flat wickets. It gives our batsmen a chance to post big totals," Chahal told reporters here on the sidelines of RCB's practice session on Tuesday.
Chahal, who had a brilliant debut IPL season, credited the Bengaluru ground for his growth as a bowler. "For the last four years, I have been bowling at the Chinnaswamy which has short boundaries and I have been successful. When you play for India, you get more confidence because of this. A spinner is always worried about the short boundaries. But after playing here, I don't get that feeling wherever I bowl," Chahal explained.
The 27-year-old has young off-spinner Washington Sundar for company this season and the duo will be eyeing to repeat its Nidahas Trophy success. "We bowled in the Nidahas Trophy. He bowled in the Power Play and I bowled in the middle overs. So we have more options. In the earlier seasons, I used to bowl in the Power Play and would just be left with two more overs. Now we have one bowler who can bowl in the Power Play and I can operate more in the middle overs," said Chahal.
Chahal, who has the knack of picking wickets at crucial junctures, is aware of the dangers bowlers face in T20 cricket. "This is a format where you can get hit. For example in Sri Lanka, I was hit for 27 runs in two overs. I just told myself that I have two more overs left. It's important to forget the past. You have to be mentally strong to come back and take wickets after being hit," he offered.
