Can cricket be played wearing shorts? Here's what Yuzvendra Chahal has to say

Have you ever wondered if professional cricket can be played wearing shorts? Well, Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is not quite in favour of it. On being asked about the same, he gave an emphatic "no" as an answer, despite being reasoned for playing under extreme heat. The question was asked to him after India's three-run win over the Windies in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at the Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, on Friday. The visitors won by just three runs to draw first blood in the three-game series. Also, Chahal never expected the 'cricket in shorts' googly question.

While March 2022 saw the hottest temperatures in India in 100 years, the cricketers sweated it out in extreme heat, with Chahal affirming that they needed to maintain their status quo. "No, No. I'm afraid I have to disagree with that [playing cricket in shorts]. Because we have to take care of our knees whenever we slide, it's very hard. My two knees are already gone, and there are many bruises. I think full pants work well for us," Chahal phrased during the post-match press conference.

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On being asked about the match, Chahal clarified that bowling in crucial situations during the Indian Premier League (IPL) helped him, along with some pep talk from Team India head coach Rahul Dravid. "The coach always backs me. He tells me, 'Yuzi just back your strengths, we trust you'...," added Chahal, who dismissed Brandon King (54) in the 45th over to things tough for the Windies in its prudish chase of 309.

"And, when the coaches and management give you that much confidence, you are always ready to go and perform. I always back my strengths. I knew the ball had become old and could turn and beat the batters. So, I was changing my line, bowling wider because the leg side boundary was a bit small, so I thought if he hits me over cover, it would be better," Chahal continued.

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"This change has come from the IPL. I was bowling the 16th, 17th and 18th over there, so I got the confidence from there. My role was clear. I was told to bowl two-three overs after the 40th over. So, I practice accordingly and plan with our bowling coach," further spoke Chahal.

Chahal, celebrating his 32nd birthday on Saturday, had figures of 2/58 in his ten overs. The hosts required 60 from the final 90 balls, and a 56-run stand between King and Akeal Hosein (32*) kept India on edge. Regardless, thanks to Chahal and pacer Mohammed Siraj, the former held his nerves while bowling the final over, with 15 needed, as India came out victorious.

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"We had complete faith in Siraj and that we can defend five runs in the last over, as he was bowling his yorkers very well. He missed hardly one or two yorkers earlier. But yes, a little bit of pressure is always there, given how they batted. Sanju [Samson] stopped a certain boundary off a wide, and that raised our confidence," said Chahal.

Some big names are unavailable in the squad, but Chahal said India's bowling attack is not inexperienced at all. "There was not much pressure because if you look at the team overall, almost everyone has played a lot of first-class matches, they have gained so much experience from the IPL, so you can't say the bowling line-up was inexperienced," Chahal expressed.

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Speaking about Shikhar Dhawan's 97, Chahal declared, "He is a cool guy, his bonding with every player is like a brother. We talk about our plans and various situations, and sometimes we also have fun on and off the field." The opener exceeded ex[pectations, given that he was rusty during the recently-concluded ODIs in England.

"The wicket against Bangladesh [during Windies's preceding ODI series at home] and this wicket were different because the ball was turning a lot there. Credit must go to their batters, the way they batted in the middle order. But, we knew one or two wickets would put the pressure back on them," concluded Chahal.

(With inputs from PTI)