The young Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal left the Australian batsmen clueless in the series-deciding third ODI in Melbourne on Friday, taking 6 wickets for 42 runs, to restrict the hosts to a meager total of 230. It was the first international game for the Haryana bowler since October when he featured in the Indian team that took on the Windies. His 6 for 42 is the joint best by an Indian bowler and best by a spinner Down Under in the ODIs. Ajit Agarkar had produced an identical 6 for 42 (he bowled three deliveries less though) at the same venue in 2004.
It was Chahal’s second fifer in the ODIs since his 5 or 22 against South Africa in Centurion in February last year. It was in that series that his lethal bowling partnership with Kuldeep Yadav made a mark in international cricket. Chahal also surpassed the record of current coach Ravi Shastri as the most successful Indian spinner in a 50-ver game in Australia. Shastri had taken 5 for 15 to humble the Australians at the WACA Ground in Perth in 1991.
ESPNcricinfo caught up with the 28-year-old bowler for a question-and-answer session (25 of them) in which the cricketer, who is a former chess player who represented India, revealed some unknown facts.
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One of the questions that the interviewer asked Chahal was about his nickname in the team. Chahal said there are quite a few of them. With a smile of his face, the youngster said, “There is so many, like Yuzi, Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) call me Tilli (matchbox).”
He was also asked to name the T20 league other than the Indian Premier League (IPL) that he loves watching and Chahal said it is the Big Bash League (BBL) which is played in Australia every year.
Chahal also said during the interview that it is easier to play chess than cricket and that he wanted to hit at least one six in his international career. The cricketer has hit only three of them in his career so far – two in first-class cricket and one in ‘List A’ even though he is close to completing a decade in cricketing circles.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s stature as a leg-spinner ever since he has made his debut at the international level. India dropped Kuldeep Yadav for the decider and brought in the leggie who had so far appeared only on Chahal TV interviewing the top performers after the game. Having said that, he nailed the opportunity whenever he has made it to the playing XI.
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Meanwhile, one of the queries was the Bollywood actor he would pick to play his role in his biopic. Chahal was quick to pick Randeep Hooda for the role who has performed a few classy acts in the Bollywood Industry so far in his career.
Chahal picked Rohit Sharma and Kuldeep as his 3 AM friends. His chemistry with both the players is well known to everyone and more so with the former. Chahal is more often than not seen having fun with Rohit and always takes a funny dig at his wife Ritika Sajdeh on social media posts.
The case with Kuldeep is even more interesting as the duo loves bowling in tandem in the ODIs and T20Is as they spin a web around the opposition batsmen cleverly.
