One-Day Cup: Decoding Yuzvendra Chahal's performance in ongoing season
What's the story
In a stellar display, Northamptonshire Steelbacks clinched their first One-Day Cup win of the season, defeating Durham by a massive 150 runs at Banks Homes Riverside. This victory comes after a no-result and two defeats for the young Steelbacks side in Group B. Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal played a pivotal role in this triumph, taking three wickets for just 30 runs in his six overs. Here we decode Chahal's performance in the 2025 One-Day Cup.
Bowling brilliance
Chahal shines with three wickets in his latest outing
Chahal's leg-spin proved too hot to handle for the Durham batsmen. He picked up three wickets in his six overs, giving away just 30 runs. His brilliant bowling was instrumental in restricting Durham to a meager total of 171/10 in a chase of 322 runs. The Indian spinner dismissed key player David Bedingham before getting the rid of tail-enders Paul Coughlin and Mitchell Killeen. He was the pick of the bowlers for his team.
Numbers
Six wickets in the tourney
As per ESPNcricinfo, Chahal's returns in this tourney read: 3/30, 2/54, 1/69. These numbers have taken his tally to six wickets at a fine average of 25.50. His economy (5.88) is also impressive. Chahal has played three First-Class games for Northamptonshire this year, scalping 12 wickets at an average of 46. Six of these wickets came in a solitary innings.
Prospect
Can Chahal return to Team India?
Chahal last played for Team India in August 2023. The 35-year-old has since been on the sidelines, though he continues to shine in the Indian Premier League. His record at the highest level is also impressive. With age not being on his side and spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy delivering consistently, Chahal's comeback to the national team looks highly unlikely.
Career
Chahal's stats in ODIs and T20Is
Chahal, who was once India's go-to bowler in white-ball cricket, has picked up 121 scalps in 72 ODIs at an average of 27.13. Additionally, he also owns five four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls with an economy rate of 5.26, with a career-best of 6/42. In the T20I format, Chahal boasts 96 wickets (80 matches) while averaging 25.09 with an economy of 8.19. He also has two four-wicket and one six-fer.