Yuzvendra Chahal reveals the nickname that MS Dhoni gave him

Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web around the Australian batsmen in the third ODI in Melbourne on Friday, taking 6 wickets for 42 runs, to restrict the hosts to a moderate score 230. It was the first international game for the Haryana bowler since October when he featured in the Indian side that took on the Windies. His 6 for 42 is the joint best by an Indian bowler and best by a spinner on the Australian soil in the 50-over format. Ajit Agarkar had produced an identical 6 for 42 (he bowled three deliveries less though) at the same venue in 2004.

Chahal picks his second fifer in ODIs and it’s also on SENA soil

It was Chahal’s second fifer in the ODIs since his 5 or 22 against South Africa in Centurion in February last year. It was in that series that his lethal bowling partnership with Kuldeep Yadav made a mark in international cricket. Chahal also bettered the record of current coach Ravi Shastri as the most successful Indian spinner in an ODI inning in Australia. Shastri had taken 5 for 15 to humble the Australians at the WACA Ground in Perth in 1991.

ESPNcricinfo caught up with the 28-year-old bowler for a question-and-answer session (25 of them) in which the cricketer, who is a former chess player who represented India, revealed some unknown facts.

One of the questions that the interviewer asked Chahal was about his nickname in the team. Chahal said there are quite a few of them. “There is so many, like Yuzi, Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) call me Tilli (matchbox),” he said with a smile.

He was also asked to name the T20 league other than the Indian Premier League that he loves watching and Chahal said it is the Big Bash League which is played in Australia every year.

Chahal also said during the interview that it is easier to play chess than cricket and that he wanted to hit at least one six in his international career. The cricketer has hit only three of them in his career so far – two in first-class cricket and one in ‘List A’ even though he is close to completing a decade in cricketing circles.

[interaction id=”5c403639f348526c09473565″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.