India vs Australia 2017: Yuzvendra Chahal Reveals How He Has Made Glenn Maxwell His Bunny

One of the most-talked about topics in the ongoing series has been the way Yuzvednra Chahal has made light work of Australia star Glenn Maxwell. The last time Australia had toured India for an ODI series in 2013, Maxwell had starred with the bat, scoring 248 runs in 6 outings at an impressive average of over 41 and an outstanding strike-rate of over 150. However, the right-handed batsman has cut a sorry figure in the ongoing series, managing only 58 runs in the first 3 games and the reason behind the failure is Chahal.

The leg-spinner has dismissed the hard-hitting batsman in all the three games of the series so far. In the first match, Maxwell was batting on 39 off just 17 balls before Chahal bowled one outside the off and the right-handed batsman ended up miscuing it to long-on. In the following game at the Eden Gardens, Maxwell danced down the track and Chahal bowled a straighter one which sneaked through the former’s leg and MS Dhoni did not commit any mistake in taking the bails off. In the last ODI,  Maxwell once again charged down the track but Chahal cleverly tossed the ball wide and the Aussie was stumped again.

Not surprisingly when Chahal interacted with the media ahead of Thursday’s (September 28) game, he was asked how he has managed to make Maxwell his bunny in the series.

In reply, the leggie said:“My plan to Maxwell is not to bowl at the stumps. That is his wrong area. I tend to bowl outside the off stump and I vary my pace. I know that if I can bowl 2-3 dot balls, he will step out and try to play an aggressive shot. However, in order to beat the batsman, the line and length has to be perfect. I always maintain that.”

Chahal has already taken 6 wickets in the series and can back himself to add few more to his kitty as he is set to bowl on a pitch where he has spearheaded Royal Challengers Bangalore’s spin attack for years now. Moreover, the changed nature of the pitch is only going to help the spinners and Chahal feels the spinners can get wickets despite the boundary being small.

“The wicket at the M Chinnaswamy stadium has changed in the last couple of years. The wicket now is offering more turn to the spinners. It is a bit slow and there is grip, which was not there earlier. The boundaries here are small but if there is assistance in the wicket, you can get the wickets,” he said.

“Whenever I play for India, I give my best. I do not look at the name of the batsman to bowl [to]. I bowl according to my strengths, be it for India, domestic or in the IPL. Although the ground is small, I have taken wickets and have had good performances at this venue,” he added.