Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra praised Yuzvendra Chahal for his match-winning performance against South Africa in the third T20I in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday (14th June).
India kept the five-match series alive after they thumped the Proteas by 48 runs to stage a staggering comeback after two back-to-back defeats. One of the main architects behind their massive win was Chahal.
The leg-spinner bowled a sensational spell of spin bowling and on the back of his performance, India bundled out South Africa for just 131 runs while defending 180 runs.
Chahal came under scrutiny after he was taken for runs in the first two games. However, the leg-spinner made an impressive comeback and removed the likes of Rassie van der Dussen, Dwaine Pretorious and Heinrich Klaasen to return with the figures of 3/20.
Chahal, who is India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20Is, was also awarded Man of the Match for his heroics and his performance was applauded by many including Ashish Nehra
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Nehra said that ‘aggressive Chahal’ was on show in the third T20I against South Africa as he varied his length and pace well.
"Only a few times have we seen Harshal Patel bowl in the powerplay for RCB. This time he conceded a bit but picked up a wicket as well. The aggressive Chahal was on show today, the one we know. He varied his length and pace very well today. After the last match, Chahal must have thought that he was a little defensive," Ashish Nehra said.
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Nehra said that Chahal trapped the batters with his flight and himself took apart South Africa’s middle order and took the match out of their grasp.
"Chahal had completely trapped the batters with his flight. He completely took the middle order apart by himself and by the time he was done with his first three overs, the match was well out of South Africa's grasp,” he said.
Nehra said that Chahal and India’s performance in the third game would give them confidence going into the next match.
"Chahal and India ticked most of the boxes, especially in the second innings. So, they will definitely take confidence from this match. While we all know what Chahal is capable of, the fact is he missed the squad for the World Cup last time," he said.
The series between India and South Africa stands at 2-1 with the visitors in lead. There’s no doubt that Chahal will have to play a massive role in the remaining matches if India has to fancy their chances of winning the series. The fourth T20I between the teams will take place on Friday (June 17) at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
