“Obviously You Want To Wear The Whites” - Yuzvendra Chahal On His Test Ambitions
Published - 21 May 2021, 04:02 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:46 AM
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Yuzvendra Chahal outlined his ambitions of playing Test cricket once more and though he has seen several players younger than him make their Test debuts for India, the leg-spinner still harbors hopes of representing his nation in the longest format.
The 30-year-old has 84 wickets in 31 FC matches till now, which can be termed as a solid record, but he has been overlooked for India team selection due to his reputation of being more of a limited-overs bowler than a red-ball bowler.
India has given Test debuts to the likes of Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem whenever India’s frontline spinners have been unavailable for Tests.
If Someone Calls You A Test Player, There Is No Bigger Compliment: Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal spoke to Sports Tak about his Test prospects, pointing to his stellar record in red-ball cricket over the past few years.
“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 revealed.
However, Chahal admitted that making his way through past the recent debutants and other established spinners in the Test team will be tough, especially with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja being the first-choice spinners and Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and others making quite an impression with both the bat and the ball.
“You see Axar came in and did well. Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep are already there, so you feel that 3-4 players are already in the reckoning and it will be difficult for you to get a chance. Especially when they are performing so well. Ashwin bhaiyya completed 400 Test wickets and Jaddu Pa has over 250 wickets. Looking at them you feel that you have to improve more to get a chance,” Chahal admitted.
I Felt Somewhere That My Name My Prop Up, When England Toured India: Yuzvendra Chahal
Chahal also said that he wasn’t expecting a call-up for the England tour, where the Indian team will play World Test Championship final and the subsequent five-Test series against the host nation. However, he did say that he expected a call-up when England came to India for four Tests earlier this year.
“No, 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 mentioned.
Yuzvendra Chahal will be expected to be part of the Indian squad which will play three T20Is and three ODIs against the Lankans.
