Virat Kohli has been in splendid form and has taken Royal Challengers Bangalore to the brink of the playoffs. Scoring more than 800 runs in season nine of the Indian Premier League, the RCB skipper has decimated batting records.
While a lot has been said about Kohli's consistency, RCB leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said Kohli's fitness was key to his unreal consistency in the shortest format of the game. Kohli has scored 1490 runs in T20 cricket since January this year and has been unfazed by fitness issues.
"He is working on his fitness and spends lot of time in the gym, and also in nets. After the batting, he bats on the centre wicket to practise hitting sixes. He has worked hard and hence he has made over 800 runs this IPL," Chahal said.
Chahal said he felt lucky to have Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson in his team instead of bowling at them.
"Yeah (I don't want to bowl at them). The top four batsmen -- Watson, Gayle, Virat and AB -- are in my team. So, I feel I am lucky," he said.
RCB's top-order have been on a record-breaking spree but leggie Chahal feels his side's bowlers have also played a crucial role in the team's turnaround in the ongoing IPL.
Chahal said that RCB bowlers played no small part in the team rising to number two spot in the IPL points table, especially after Chris Jordan joined the side.
"In last two games, the bowlers have done really good job because in earlier games bowling was the concern and we were facing combination problems too. Now, the combination is right and bowlers are bowling in right areas. We have improved our bowling and erased the tag of having a weak bowling lineup," Chahal said.
"When Jordan came into the team, the first two matches did not go well for him. The way he bowled in Mohali and in the last match against KKR it helped the team, especially when you have Watson and Jordan it helps," he added.
Replying to a question, Chahal said Kohli gave him freedom to bowl, but he would insist on not giving away sixes.
"When he tosses the ball to me, he tells me not to give away sixes, but bowl freely. Against KXIP, I went after wickets because we had a big total on hands. He just told me to bowl the way I bowl," Chahal concluded.
