Yuzvendra Chahal's 3 best ODI spells
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been India’s premium spin property ever since he made his international debut in 2016. The former chess player has also been an integral part of the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
He currently holds the record for taking the most number of wickets for the franchise, with 100 scalps in 83 matches. Chahal may have his back against the wall in terms of form lately, but his past performances are an ode to the potential he holds.
With just a couple of days left for the India vs Sri Lanka series to begin, we take a look at three of Yuzvendra Chahal’s best spells in ODIs.
6/42 vs Australia, 2019
With the ODI series leveled at 1-1, it was crucial for India to win the third game in Melbourne and Chahal's outstanding outing with the ball did the job for India. Despite losing two quick wickets, Australia were cruising towards safety with a steady 73-run partnership.
Chahal managed to halt their momentum with just three overs of his spell left and the Aussies were struggling at 123/5. The leggie returned in the death overs and bagged three more wickets to add to his tally. He finished with figures of 6/42, helping India win the game by seven wickets.
5/22 vs South Africa, 2018
Chahal picked up his maiden ODI five-wicket haul as India went on to beat the Proteas by nine wickets in the second of the six-match ODI series in 2018. Chahal, along with Kuldeep Yadav, picked up 33 wickets from six games, leading India to a comfortable series win.
Chahal’s best performance came at the Centurion ground, as he ran through the South African batting line-up and registered figures of 5/22 in 8.1 overs, including one maiden over. South Africa’s openers Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock had scored just 39 runs before Chahal broke the opening stand, getting left-hander de Kock out.
In the absence of Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers, Chahal ran through the middle order, dismissing JP Duminy, Khaya Zondo, Morne Morkel, and finally Chris Morris to pick up his fifth wicket. South Africa were wrapped up for 118 runs, their lowest total at home, and India cruised to victory with almost 30 overs to spare.
4/46 vs SA, 2018
Another one of Chahal’s explosive spells came against South Africa, in the same six-match ODI series. India’s spin-duo ‘Kul-Cha’, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal terrorized the South African batting unit in a rather one-sided ODI series, winning their third game straight by 124 runs.
Chahal, a newcomer to international cricket at the time, exerted sheer dominance over the Proteas batsmen. JP Duminy’s well-negotiated 50 went in vain as South Africa managed to put up 79 runs in its opening stand and lost their next eight wickets for a mere 100 runs once the spinners were introduced.
Chahal ended with his second-best ODI figures in the series, picking up four wickets for 46 runs.
