Yuzvendra Chahal wants to play Test cricket in near future
Yuzvendra Chahal has been a mainstay leg-spinner for Team India in the white-ball format, ever since he made his international debut. However, he is yet to receive his maiden Test call-up. In a conversation with Hindustan Times, the 29-year-old revealed his wish to make it to India's Test side soon. He believes his domestic performances could help speed up the process. Here is more.
"Test cricket is the most challenging. In recent years, Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep have done well for India. I too want to play Tests but for that I need to play more red-ball cricket at domestic level," said Chahal.
Having made his international debut in 2016, Chahal has accounted for 91 wickets from 52 ODIs so far at 25.83. He averages better in the shortest format, having scalped 55 wickets at 24.34. Chahal also owns the best T20I bowling figures among Indian spinners (25/6 vs ENG, 2017). In First-Class cricket, Chahal has claimed 84 scalps with best match figures of 112/8.
Chahal reiterated he wants to follow the footsteps of senior spinners Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin. "I played with Harbhajan for three years in MI. I have learned from him how to be aggressive as a spinner and attack the batsman," he said. "Ashwin bhai is a consistent bowler. I hope I can follow in their footsteps and serve India for a long period."
Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been the backbone of India's T20 side. Their ability to provide breakthroughs in crunch moments has worked well for Team India. The duo will be pivotal for India in the upcoming T20 WC. Acknowledging this, Chahal said, "It's amazing to bowl in tandem as we put pressure on batsmen. I really look forward to bowling alongside him soon."
Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have shared 159 wickets in 44 internationals at an incredible average of 22.54. Since January 2018, Kuldeep (82) has taken the most number of wickets in ODIs with Chahal (64) holding the fourth spot.
