Yuzvendra Chahal has seen several players younger than him make their Test debuts for India. Although India hasn’t considered him an option in red-ball cricket yet, the leg-spinner still harbours hopes of representing his nation in the longest format.
The 30-year-old has a solid record in first-class cricket, picking up 84 wickets in 31 games. However, the likes of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Shahbaz Nadeem have featured ahead of him in recent years whenever India’s frontline spinners (Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja) have been unavailable for Tests.
Yuzvendra Chahal Wants To Wear The Whites
Yuzvendra Chahal spoke to Sports Tak about his Test prospects, pointing to his stellar record in red-ball cricket over the past few years.
“Obviously, you want to wear the whites. If someone calls you a Test player, there is no bigger compliment. In the last 3-4 years, I have picked 50 wickets in the ten first-class matches, out of which two are India A games,” Chahal revealed.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been India’s frontline Test spinners for several years now, making the difference time and again. Axar Patel made a sensational start to his Test career too, running through the England side in the home series earlier in the year. But Yuzvendra Chahal isn’t too bogged down for not getting a look in, admitting he needs to improve further, considering the spin options India has presently.
“You see Axar came in and did well. Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep are already there, so you feel that 3-4 players are already in the reckoning and it will be difficult for you to get a chance. Especially when they are performing so well. Ashwin bhaiyya completed 400 Test wickets and Jaddu Pa has over 250 wickets. Looking at them you feel that you have to improve more to get a chance,” Chahal admitted.
From having made his debut for RCB in 2014 to earning a national call-up in 2016 and taking 100 wickets in the IPL, Yuzvendra Chahal has had an impressive career so far. In his young international career thus far, the 30-year old has bagged 92 and 62 wickets in 54 ODIs and 48 T20Is respectively.
Yuzvendra Chahal was not expecting to be part of India’s latest Test squad, with the team travelling to England for the World Test Championship final and the subsequent five-Test series against the host nation. But the leg-spinner interestingly revealed how he was hoping he would get a call-up when England toured India earlier this year.
“No, this time I wasn’t expecting a call-up. But yes, when England toured India and some of our spinners were injured, I felt somewhere that my name my prop up,” Chahal mentioned.
Shahbaz Nadeem and Washington Sundar were picked in absence of injured Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the 1st Test before Axar Patel’s stunning debut in the next Test. Axar Patel picked 27 wickets in 3 Tests finishing behind Ravichandran Ashwin who had 32 scalps.
Yuzvendra Chahal will get a chance to show his credentials when India takes on Sri Lanka in July. He is expected to be part of the Indian squad which will play three T20Is and three ODIs against the Lankans. In 106 IPL games since debuting for Mumbai in 2013, he has 125 scalps averaging 23.3.