Was expecting a Test call-up during the home series against England, admits Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal was expecting a call-up during home Test series against England
|Despite having proved himself as one of the best white-ball spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal’s time in Indian whites have never arrived but Chahal was expecting one during the home series against England earlier this year. Chahal also stated that he would have taken a break had the IPL not been postponed.
Having made his Indian debut in 2016, Yuzvendra Chahal was viewed highly as a white-ball bowler, who could make a startling impact for the national team. And he did, with 154 wickets for the Men in Blue in just five years. However, an appearance in the Indian whites has always eluded him, especially given the fact that his last First-Class appearance came in 2018.Â
His FC record, though, is underwhelming, with 84 wickets in 48 innings, averaging 33.21 with the ball. Despite it, the leg-spinner was expecting a Test call-up during the home series against England, which India went on to win 3-1, having lost the first Test in Chennai. Chahal pointed out that multiple injuries in the camp made him think that an opportunity was going to come his way before Rahul Chahar was added into the squad.Â
“This time I wasn’t expecting a call-up. But yes, when England toured India and some of our spinners were injured, I felt somewhere that my name my prop up,” Chahal told Sports Tak, reported Hindustan Times.
“Obviously, you want to wear the whites. If someone calls you a Test player, there is no bigger compliment. In the last 3-4 years, I have picked 50 wickets in the ten first-class matches, out of which two are India A games,” Chahal added.
Recently, news broke out that the leg-spinner’s parents were suffering from the virus. Opening up on that, Chahal stated that he would have surely taken a break from cricket and the IPL had the tournament not been postponed.Â
"I was planning to take a break from the IPL when I heard the news of my parents getting infected. It was difficult to focus on the game while your parents were alone at home. They tested positive on May 3, and a couple of days later, the tournament got postponed," said Chahal.
"When positive reports started coming from more than one team, we got the hint that the tournament might get suspended. It escalated quickly and went out of the hand," Chahal recollected.
With news reports pointing out that the Middle East might be the top contender to host the World T20, Chahal reckoned that India would be the No.1 contenders to the title. He also pointed out how the conditions are similar to India, which would come as a big boost for the Men in Blue.Â
"I firmly believe that we are the No 1 contenders to win the T20 World Cup later this year, even if it will move to UAE. The conditions are quite similar to India, and it will be a big boost for us," said Chahal.
