Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is set to play First-Class cricket again after December 2016. He got a recall to India A side which will face South Africa A in Bengaluru. Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, who was dropped from India's Test side, has been ignored here too.
Chahal, who has been away from red-ball cricket for long, lauded his bowling partner for India, Kuldeep Yadav. He said the Uttar Pradesh spinner deserves to be part of Indian Test side against England.
“Kuldeep deserves every bit to be in the Test squad. He has performed in the formats he has got a chance. Even on a flat wicket, a wrist spinner can be pretty effective. It’s a good sign that a leg-spinner is part of the Test squad in an away series. That is the trend worldwide,” Chahal said in an interview.
The 28-year-old would like to adjust himself as per the new challenge. He differentiated between red-ball and white-ball cricket.
“In limited-overs, leg-spinners are often rewarded as batsmen go for big shots. In Tests, they don’t go after a bowler aggressively. A leg-spinner needs more planning in Tests. It is a bowler’s skill that gets him wickets in Tests,” Chahal said.
The Haryana cricketer thinks it is better for India to go with two spinners in second and third Test which will be played at Lord's and Trent Bridge. He has played on both venues in ODIs.
“Players like Virat, who have been on England tour before, said during the ODI series that the conditions this time were quite different. I found the pitches dry and could vary my pace. I think we can see two spinners in the playing XI later on in the series. It will all depend on the weather,” he said.
“This time the heat was too much. The conditions may continue in the coming days. Also, this is a five-match series. Both India and England can make a comeback even if they lose one. So, different strategies and combinations can be tried.”
India and West Indies will clash later this year but not thinking about too far, Chahal refrained to comment on his selection in the Test squad.
“I am not thinking about Test selection yet. After close to two years, I am back to red ball cricket. We have Rahul Dravid as coach. His immense experience in Tests will be valuable. I am concentrating on getting the maximum out of this India A stint and of course there is Asia Cup after that in September,” he said.
