IND vs SA: Very Surprising That A Bowler Like Yuzvendra Chahal Bowled Only 2 Overs - Ashish Nehra

Former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra expressed disappointment at the fact that leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, bowled only two overs in the first T20I against South Africa on Thursday.

Chahal bowled once in the powerplay during SA’s run chase where he was taken to the cleaners and returned in the middle-overs to bowl one more before being taken off the attack. The move cost the team as Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller put together 131 runs for the 4th wicket and helped SA chase down 212.

“Rishabh Pant is a young captain, he will learn and hopefully he will get better. Now, if Dravid feels that Chahal should bowl an over, obviously a message can be sent. They have to keep things simple and be proactive.”

“It is very surprising to me that a bowler like him only bowled 2 overs today. He should have bowled to the van der Dussen-Miller pair, especially at the stage when South Africa were back in the chase. Rishabh Pant surely made a mistake over there. He also was frantic in the powerplay, using five bowlers for six overs,” Nehra told Cricbuzz.

“It is important to keep a wicket-taking option in the middle overs” – Parthiv Patel on why Yuzvendra Chahal should have been used

Chahal was the primary wicket-taker in the middle overs for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 season. The leg-spinner has a knack for picking up wickets at the right time and India missed his services the most.

“He only bowled 2 overs today. Sometimes teams hold back leg spinners because there is a left-hander batting. It is important to keep a wicket-taking option in the middle overs. If you have to stop a top-quality International batter, you will have to take his wicket, defensive bowling won’t work.”

“They will have to see how to use him in a better way. Being unable to defend 212 with six bowlers will hurt India’s mentality. You usually defend 212 on nine occasions out of 10. They will have to revisit their game plan,” Parthiv mentioned.

The second T20I between India and South Africa will be played on June 10.

Also Read – IND vs SA: It Was A Decision In Your Hands- Zaheer Khan Says Of Rishabh Pant’s Failure To Give Yuzvendra Chahal His Full Quota Of Overs