Yuzvendra Chahal once again proved in the game against Punjab Kings why he is the number one spinner of Team India by picking three crucial wickets which helped his side Rajasthan Royals to another win.
At one time, it looked Punjab Kings would cross 200-plus score when Jonny Bairstow and Bhanuka Rajapaksa was going strong but he picked up both the key wickets as well as skipper Mayank Agarwal’s wicket to halt their progress and ended with match figures of 3/28 in his four overs.
Chahal’s impact is so strong that he has been the leading wicket-taker in this IPL and so far with 22 wickets at an average of 14.5 and has been the Purple Cap holder since the beginning and his closest compatriot is Kuldeep Yadav with 18 wickets.
Incidentally, Chahal became only the second bowler in the history of IPL to pick up 20 wickets in a season four times after Lasith Malinga.
In the match against KKR, Chahal had singlehandedly swung the game in his favour with a hattrick and made Royals win from a losing position. In the game against Lucknow Super Giants, he would have got another hattrick had Karun Nair not dropped an easy catch.
Chahal was unlucky not to have been picked in the last T20 World Cup and it would be no surprise if he is on the plane to Australia this World Cup in October. Legspinners are matchwinners and Chahal has time and again proved that with his guile that he is India’s number one spinner.
- Cricket enthusiast Anis Sajan is the Vice Chairman of Danube Group
