IPL 2022: Malinga praises Chahal for his game-changing spell against KKR
Apr 19, 2022
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 19 : Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Lasith Malinga on Monday was all praises for the spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, saying that he had shown how he could change the game in an over with his lethal spell against Kolkata Knight Riders at Brabourne Stadium on Monday.
Chahal's spell of 5/40, which included a hat-trick, backed the batting heroics of opener Jos Butler (103) well to make sure that KKR fell narrowly short of the 217-run target, missing out on a win by a mere seven runs.
"Chahal has a lot of international experience. He is the most experienced leg-spinner in the country and in this tournament. Every bowling unit has 2-3 wicket-taking options and leg-spinners have more wicket-taking options. Today, Chahal showed how he can take wickets and change the game within a single over. That is the most important thing. He showed that all leg-spinners are match-winners in this competition," said the legendary pacer in a post-match press conference.
Malinga backed the batter Riyan Parag, who fell for 5 in the match in an attempt to hit Narine for a six, saying that he can win matches for the team single-handedly because he is big-hearted.
"He has not got much time on the wicket since he has played only five to ten balls in his previous games. I feel he will deliver for us in the next match. It also means that our top order is doing well, that is why he is not getting many opportunities to play his game," added the RR bowling coach.
The Assamese batter has had a very dull IPL 2022 so far, managing only 48 runs in five innings.
Malinga said that during his stint as a bowling coach with RR, he had got a chance to work with young cricketers, especially young fast bowlers and he wants to keep working with them in areas like yorkers and slow balls.
"I want to give them a clear idea of what the team expects from them. Like if I am a bowler, sometimes we are supposed to adapt to the team plan. We need to bowl for six overs, at the end of innings as well. We have to develop our skills too since there are only two types of batsmen, right-handed and left-handed. We should not think too much and just stick to our plans. We need to develop our wicket-taking options, stock balls and a good line and length. I can share all my experiences with them of my last 12 years with Mumbai Indians and in International Cricket," he added.
Coming to the match, RR posted 217/5, the highest total of the ongoing IPL season, thanks to the heroics of Jos Butler, who scored 103, his second hundred of the season. His efforts were well supported by Devdutt Paddikal (24), Sanju Samson (38) and Shimron Hetmyer (26*). Aaron Finch (58) and Shreyas Iyer (85) kept KKR in contention throughout the match, but a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul by Chahal meant that Knight Riders were bundled out for 210, painfully short of a victory by seven runs.
This is Rajasthan Royals' fourth win of the season in six matches taking them to the second spot in the points table. They will now take on Delhi Capitals in their next match on Friday in Pune. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders are currently at the sixth spot in the points table and will take on Gujarat Titans on April 23.
