With the T20 World Cup slated to take place in Australia, every international game in the shortest format is being scrutinised in preparation for the event. The same could be said about India’s five-match T20I series against South Africa, which ended recently.
Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has remarked that Yuzvendra Chahal is just the second leg-spinner to play consistently for the Indian National Cricket Team after famous leg-spinner Anil Kumble.
Chahal began off poorly in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against South Africa, which ended in a 2-2 tie after the series finale was washed out, but he made a great return and finished the series with six wickets. White-ball expert Chahal has 74 wickets in 59 T20 Internationals, making him India’s leading wicket-taker.
Chahal, who earned the purple cap in the 2022 Indian Premier League, was left out of India’s T20 World Cup 2021 roster, with the country opting for enigmatic spinner Varun Chakravarthy and youthful youngster Rahul Chahar instead.
“Yuzvendra Chahal is a player who was missed a lot in the last World Cup. He will definitely emerge as a trump card in Australia and give the Indian team good success,” said Bangar on Star Sports.
“If any leg-spinner has played consistently for a long time for India, that is Anil Kumble. After Anil Kumble, if any wrist-spinner has played consistently for India or a long time, it is Yuzvendra Chahal.”
The coach further said that Chinnaswamy Stadium and its small boundaries played a big role in Yuzvendra Chahal’s rise.
“Absolutely, it has played a huge role. It is tested how big a heart you have. When you learn to get hit and are not afraid of getting hit, then you learn how to bowl. He changes his seam position slightly, bowls different-different lines, this has been his strength. He has brought a very good aspect in his game, that is to bowl on wider lines to both right-handers and left-handers. That learning that he has got has come from Chinnaswamy only,” he added.
