Romancing Yuzvendra Chahal and leg spin

Yuzi's four-wicket haul against KKR, to reach 187 wickets now in the IPL, is top-drawer stuff. Before this, the record was held by Dwayne Bravo of CSK.

Romancing Yuzvendra Chahal and leg spin

(Image Credit: IPL/BCCI)

Leg spin is an art, where the bowler has to show guts and guile. A certain Shane Warne, who had a special bonding with Rajasthan Royals in the franchise’s early days in the IPL, showed that it was possible to mix cricket and partying at night. Warne is gone, his demise as sudden as he would get a batter out when least expected.

Warnie must have been watching from above, perhaps, tongue lolling out, as another bowler plying a similar trade scripted history in the Indian Premier League on Thursday. The 2023 edition of the T20 fiesta in India has been about bold batting, where men like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh have grabbed headlines. But then, Yuzvendra Chahal was not to be left behind.

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The 34-year-old from Jind in Haryana let the ball rip and walked into the IPL history books on Thursday night as Rajasthan Royals beat Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-stake encounter. This match was famous for Yashasvi’s staccato-burst 50, the fastest in the IPL. Yuzi, as the five feet and six inches tall (or short) man is known, also wanted to show his wares.

His efforts are genuinely praiseworthy since white ball cricket and the IPL are batter-oriented games. From Power Play to opening up in the last few overs of the innings, improvisation from batters, young and seasoned pros like Ajinkya Rahane has been fascinating. In such a scenario, for Yuzi to come up with the teasing and tormenting stuff has been captivating.

The bloke has been around in the IPL for a decade. It is a tribute to his longevity and skill set he has survived onslaughts and stayed very relevant. His four-wicket haul, to reach 187 wickets now in the IPL, is top-drawer stuff. Before this, the record was held by Dwayne Bravo of the Chennai Super Kings. Yuzi is that typical cunning bowler. He may not have actually learned from Shane Warne, but when you play for a team where the Aussie was a mentor, a few tricks of the trade are bound to be picked up.

Related: “Playing video game in real life,” fans left rubbing their eyes as Yashaswi Jaiswal scores fastest fifty in IPL history

In Yuzvendra Chahal, India has seen a fearless bowler

In Yuzvendra Chahal, India has seen a fearless bowler
(Image Credits: Reuters)

Yuzi is not just an IPL bowler. He has been performing his trade for India in ODIs and T20 internationals as well, where he has an aggregate of 212 wickets from 147 matches. It’s been a long journey for the short man of Indian cricket who does stand tall. Watching leg spin has become a rarity these days in cricket. There are off-spinner and then the traditional left-arm spinners.

In Yuzi, India has seen a bowler who is fearless. He knows that unless he is accurate and masters the art, he is going to be smashed to pulp. On Thursday night, he performed at a venue — Eden Gardens — which has been romanced by many Indians, notably Anil Kumble, during the Hero Cup final in a different era. The joke then was Kumble hardly turned the ball!

With Yuzi, the story is different. He bowls slow through the air, keeps batters guessing. Most important, he knows what kind of a field to set and bowls to it. Batters have innovated big time, they have become destroyers. And with the crappy Impact Player rule now in vogue in the IPL, for bowlers, the challenge has increased. And this is where Yuzi stands out. The guy is simple, so thin he could be blown away by a strong wind!

Not, when he bowls, he is all fired up. Cunning, accurate, releasing the ball in the mid 80kmph speed region. He knows he can get hit for long sixes. Yuzi also knows he can trap batters, which was evident on Thursday. “I never even thought about it [becoming the highest wicket-taker] when I started playing the IPL,” Chahal said.

“I was with Mumbai Indians for three years [when I started] but my journey actually started from 2014. There have been a lot of ups and downs and I’ve enjoyed a lot too. I’ve learnt from my downs, and what I’m today is because of my downfalls and [support from] my close ones,” said Yuzi.

The simple man has come in for raise from many former greats, Ravi Shastri and Harbhajan Singh included. For those who think IPL and all forms of white ball cricket are there only to watch batters go hammer and tong, it’s a delight to watch this diminutive bundle of energy, Yuzi Chahal. Now you know why Rajasthan may be secretly invoking the spirit of Shane Warne.

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