Rajkot, Nov 6 (UNI) India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal brushed aside the team's
defeat to Bangladesh in the first T20 international in Delhi, saying that a three-match
series affords enough time to bounce back.
Bangladesh beat India by seven wickets in the series opener on Sunday, chasing
down a modest target of 149 with ease. It was their first victory over India in the
shortest format.
"A couple of matches can go wrong, but there is no pressure from the management,"
Chahal said, ahead of the second game in Rajkot. "The only thing is that we shouldn't
repeat the mistakes that we commit in any particular match."
The 29-year-old, who registered figures of 1/24 in the match, said that the team
believes in itself to make a comeback in Rajkot, an ICC report said.
"It is not about pressure. It is a three-game series, not a knockout game, so obviously
one will win, one will lose, and that day they played better than us," he said. "We are
one down and still two matches to go, and obviously if we believe in ourselves, we will
come back."
Though he has been a match-winner for India in the limited-overs formats over the
last couple of years, Chahal said that he doesn't see himself as the leader of the
bowling attack. "It's not like that. Among our bowlers, everyone has played 30-40
IPL matches. They have good experience. I have just played extra T20Is compared
to them."
"In a match, I can only bowl four overs. There are 16 more overs to be bowled. If
the whole team as a unit bowls well, only then we will win. It's not a matter of one
person," Chahal said.
The leg-spinner was also lavish in his praise for the opposition, who he thinks are
a strong side despite the absence of their veterans Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.
"Even without Shakib and Tamim, they are a decent team. They have some
experienced players, even a couple of new guys did well. So we didn't think that since
two players are missing, so they are a weak team," he added.
The second T20I will be played on Thursday.
UNI XC-BM