Shoaib Akhtar hails Yuzvendra Chahal as 'street-smart', says he should never be dropped from Indian side

Team India may have lost the recently concluded three-match One-day International series 0-3 but they did get a few positives from what was a forgettable rubber. One of the positives was the form of Yuzvendra Chahal who emerged as the leading wicket-taker– six wickets in two games– for the Men in Blue.

Chahal, who played the entirety of the five-match Twenty20 International series was benched from the first ODI in Hamilton with the team-management opting for his former partner-in-crime Kuldeep Yadav. The move backfired substantially as Yadav was way off the mark and ended up conceding 84 runs in his 10 overs as the Kiwis strolled past the Indian total of 4-347.

Chahal was brought back for the final two ODIs and he showed what Team India missed in Hamilton. The vile leg-spinner picked up 3 wickets apiece – 3/58 in 2nd ODI in Auckland and followed it up 3/47 in the 3rd ODI at the Bay Oval – which included a peach of delivery; one that landed on middle and leg and clipped Martin Guptill’s off-stump.

One of the greatest strengths of Chahal is bloody-mindedness. He is street-smart who adjusts his line and length according to the match-situation and is never afraid to toss the ball up. Hailing Chahal for his street-smartness, former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar took to YouTube channel where he said that the vile leg-spinner should never be dropped from India’s white-ball teams.

“(Ravindra) Jadeja contains, he gets wickets occasionally, Kuldeep (Yadav) didn’t perform well but (Yuzvendra) Chahal was good. He should never be benched. Chahal has some tricks which can confuse the batsmen. He is a complete leg-spinner. He dominates the batsmen, he is street smart,” said Shoaib Akhtar in his Youtube channel.

Shoaib Akhtar expresses concerns over Kuldeep Yadav’s form

Ever since Hardik Pandya got injured, Team India has struggled with a fifth bowling option and given the fact that neither Kuldeep nor Chahal contribute with the bat, India have juggled between the duo despite the fact that they- like an air- have been hugely successful in both forms of white-ball cricket. In 34 ODs that the duo has played together, they have claimed 65 wickets at an average of 22.73 while in T20Is, ‘Kul-Cha’ has taken 22 wickets in 10 games.

Akhtar expressed concerns over Kuldeep’s form and he reckons that the left-arm leg-spinner is not playing freely. “Kuldeep to me looks be a bit subdued, he is not playing freely. He was never really in the game, that’s a worrying factor for India” Akhtar added.

Here’s the video: