"With India touring England next year, I wanted to show how good I am" - Yuzvendra Chahal on his county stint with Northamptonshire
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is going through a purple patch in England while representing Northamptonshire in county cricket. After not getting game time in Team India's successful 2024 T20 World Cup, he was not considered for any of India's white-ball tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The wily spinner turned to overseas opportunities and signed for Northamptonshire.
Chahal began his stint in England with a five-for in Northamptonshire's nine-wicket win over Kent. He followed it up with a couple of mediocre displays in the County Championship but has bounced back with 18 wickets across the last two matches against Leicestershire and Derbyshire.
The leg-spinner is yet to make his Test debut for India, with the quartet of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel dominating the circuit for quite a while. Chahal has made sporadic appearances for Haryana in the Ranji Trophy in the past, but he aims to be in consideration for India's tour of England in 2025.
"County cricket is tough cricket. It gave me an opportunity to showcase my skills against a very good standard of cricket. With India touring England next year, I wanted to show how good I am," Chahal told Times Of India.
"Firstly, I am very grateful to Brindon sir who gave me an opportunity to play in County cricket, and then the Rajasthan Royal's coaches introduced me to Krish Patel, a highly-educated 18-year old cricketer who is thought to have a very bright future in the game. I want to see him play internationally and if I can help, I am always there," he added
India are scheduled to tour England for a five-match Test series to kick-start the fourth cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC).
Chahal played county cricket for Kent last year
Indians traveling to play county cricket, especially during the domestic off-season has become a common ritual. Chahal had played a handful of matches for Kent in the last season of the County Championship, which helped him have a prolific domestic season in India, particularly the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he picked 18 wickets in eight matches at an economy rate of 3.70.
In the ongoing county season, several Indian players have marked their presence. All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer had a stint with Lancashire, while Jaydev Unadkat and Prithvi Shaw played for Sussex and Northamptonshire, respectively.