Prefer to attack; Zaheer encourages me to open up, improve: Rahul Chahar

Chahar, who has taken 11 wickets in the tournament so far, said the pitches in UAE were initially like the one in Wankhede Stadium but are now getting slower

Mumbai Indians (MI) leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has said he prefers to attack while bowling, even though he can contain the run flow as conditions in UAE favour spinners. Chahar also said former Indian pacer and Director of Cricket Operations of Mumbai Indians, Zaheer Khan is his go-to person if he needs help or advice for bowling.

"I go to Zaheer Khan for any help or advice as he understands me and my bowling style. He sometimes sits and observes me to discuss my bowling after the match, he even took me for a session last year to help me improve a particular type of delivery. He keeps telling me what I can do differently, and encourages me to open up and attack before every match," Chahar said.

Chahar said the pressure while bowling is less as experienced bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult and Pattinson are in good form and getting early wickets.

Asked how he plans to bowl, the MI leg spinner said "It depends on the requirement as I can do both, besides Rohit Sharma keeps telling me where to bowl. Apart from that, I plan after team meetings, considering the weakness of the batsmen," adding that "I personally prefer to attack, as a leg spinner you naturally get the feeling that you should attack, even if you have to contain the run flow."

Chahar, who has taken 11 wickets in the tournament so far, said the pitches in UAE were initially like the one in Wankhede Stadium, the home ground of Mumbai Indians, as it was flat and easy for the batsmen, but the pitches are now getting slower and the grounds are big so the spinners have some freedom.

Chahar said the partnership between him and Krunal Pandya is good as they build pressure from both ends and that translates into wickets.

Chahar also said the team takes the help of data analysis to discuss the strength and weakness of opposition batsmen during team meetings and prepare accordingly.