While almost all high-profile names were called up in the recently announced Duleep Trophy squads, one name missed out. While it isn’t surprising that the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah have all been rested, Yuzvendra Chahal was not part of any of the four teams. If he was ignored or not, that is a different matter, but the veteran leggie has done enough to come into the limelight (and for good reasons).
Dream debut for Chahal
Chahal, who has recently embarked on a new journey, joining Northamptonshire at the England One-Day, has instantly made a name for himself. The 34-year-old bowled as a first-change bowler and had a dream debut in Canterbury. The wily leg-spinner, who became the first player to complete 200 IPL wickets earlier this year, asserted his dominance with a superb five-wicket haul against Kent.
Chahal has joined Northamptonshire, where Prithvi Shaw also plies his trade. Unfortunately this will be the club’s last match of the tournament, as they have failed to gain progress to the next round. However, in his first stint, Chahal has been fantastic, returning with exceptional figures of 5/14 in ten overs.
What is Chahal’s equation in Team India?
Yuzvendra Chahal was used to be one of the first names on the team sheet. After 2017, he and Kuldeep Yadav hunted in pair and the duo saw tremendous success as well. However, 7 years later, while Kuldeep is a prized possession for India, same is not the case with Chahal.
Although Chahal was part of the 15-strong squad that lifted the T20 World Cup 2024, he didn’t get any chance to play a single game. Instead, India had the troika of Kuldeep, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. Chahal’s inability to bat is one of the primary reasons on why he has received less game time in recent past. The rise of Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar are also affecting his position in the international setup.
Regardless, Chahal has signed a contract to play the County Championship as well, where he is eligible to play as many as five multi-day fixtures. This will only sharpen his skills and the Haryana-born can also learn a few tricks as well this English summer.
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