Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has rated Yuzvendra Chahal as the best T20 leg-spinner in the world. Chahal has done a fine job for the Indian team over the years and he has played a key role in the team’s success.
The leg-spinner has been right on the money and he has proved his mettle in the shortest format of the game. Chahal was at his absolute best in the recently concluded Tata IPL 2022 as he scalped 27 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 19.51 and an economy rate of 7.75.
Thus, Chahal was able to bag the Purple cap for taking most wickets in the season. The leg-spinner also played a key role in taking Rajasthan Royals to the final of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Chahal also played Chess for India as he represented the country in World Youth Chess Championship. Chopra hailed the leg-spinner as a Grandmaster.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was all praise for Chahal, saying: “Yuzvendra Chahal is an amazing bowler. He bowls differently from everyone else, generally all leg-spinners doing well in T20s bowl more googlies and fewer leg-spinners and try to finish the ball within the three stumps. He (Chahal) varies his line so beautifully that you feel that the guy is a Grandmaster.”
“A leg-spinner’s story is that the ball should drift in the air, then dip slightly and then turn. If I stand on the leg stump, the ball should not come straight in the air but pitch outside the leg stump when I feel the ball will pitch in the stump line.”
“If the ball pitches within the three stumps, it is in my arc and I can play a shot very easily but if it pitches outside the leg stump, it becomes difficult to play a shot. When he (Chahal) bowls on the stumps, he turns the ball a lot, so that you cannot hit him straight. Else he goes even further outside off stump.”
On the other hand, Chahal is well known to bowl slow through the air and ergo he gets the ball to turn. Chahal is always guile in his approach and tries to stay ahead of the opposition batters. The renowned commentator feels only a confident spinner can bowl slow through the air in T20 cricket.
“Secondly, he bowls the ball slower and only a bowler who has the confidence can bowl slow, that he will bowl ball slow and will not get hit, an odd six might be hit. Generally, a spinner becomes a fast bowler when he gets hit.”
“That is why, in my opinion, just for the leg-spin skills, Yuzvendra Chahal is the best T20 leg-spinner in the world. I have great regards for Rashid Khan, I say he is probably the best T20 bowler in the world but when you talk about only the leg spin, there is no better leg-spinner than Yuzi Chahal in the world when it comes to the T20 format.”
Chahal has scalped 68 wickets in 54 T20Is and he is India’s leading wicket-taker in the shortest format. The leg-spinner will be seen in action in the five-match T20I series against South Africa.
