Visakhapatnam: After starring with the ball in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said it isn’t fair to compare him and Kuldeep Yadav with the experienced duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
“Ashwin and Jadeja have done so much in the last 5-6 years. We have played only for four-five series. If you start comparing now itself to them, it will not be right. We have played most of our games in India, one series in Sri Lanka where conditions were similar to India. We have not played much overseas,” said Chahal at the post-match press conference.
The wrist-spinner duo played a major role in Sri Lanka’s downfall from a 160/2 to just 215. Both Chahal and Yadav scalped three wickets each as India then chased down the target with ease to register their eighth consecutive bilateral series win.
Although currently not a part of India’s limited overs’ outfits, both Ashwin and Jadeja have performed well in the past that saw India continue it’s domination in the five-day format from October 2015. In 30 Test matches, Ashwin took 180 wickets while Jadeja took 120 wickets in 23 Test matches.
Talking of the final ODI in Visakhapatnam, India were under pressure at one point of time with Sadeera Samarawickrama and Upul Tharanga taking the Sri Lankan innings forward and the duo looked good to post a big total on the board.
After Tharanga was sent back for a well-made 95, Chahal dismissed the dangerous Angelo Mathews for 17 by bowling a gem of a delivery. Recalling that magical ball, Chahal said, “I was getting turn from the other end while bowling quickly or slowly. I wanted to vary my pace. When you bowl flatter, the batsman thinks that the ball will not turn much. The ball to Mathews drifted in and turned away by which he played down the wrong line and got bowled. It was the ball of the match for me.”
However, the main focus of the Indian team lies on the all-important tour of South Africa early next year. Although Chahal felt that the wickets there will be good to bowl on, his focus now primarily is rooted to the upcoming T20I series.
“The wickets in South Africa will be good and flat but there will be some extra bounce. That is the plus point there. We have a break for a month after the T20I series. I have a habit of taking it one series at a time. I am not thinking about South Africa at all,” he said.