Will have to be patient and wait for my turn: Yuzvendra Chahal

India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal feels he has to be patient and wait for his turn to represent his nation in the longest format of the game. Chahal, whose ability to pick up wickets and break partnerships in limited-overs format has increased greatly since he made his debut, has cemented his place in India’s ODI and T20I squads.

However, the 28-year-old has only played 29 first-class matches since making his debut back in 2009 and still hasn’t been able to make an impact to be considered for Test match cricket.

Despite a good performance in the recently concluded Asia Cup – which India won in a thrilling final against Bangladesh – Yuzvendra Chahal wasn’t considered for the Test series against the Windies. The leggie was also impressive in the ODIs in England, but Chahal is still hopeful that his chance to don the whites for Team India will come soon.

I’ll make sure I’m ready

“Obviously I want to play Test cricket but at the moment there are players like Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Ashwin who perform consistently. So I have to wait for my turn and whenever I get the chance, I’ll make sure I’m ready because I have to be at my best when competing with legends like them,” Chahal said in Chennai, where he was playing for Haryana in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Yuzvendra Chahal felt taking part in the unofficial Test matches against South Africa ‘A’ was a step in the right direction for him. “I was playing red ball cricket after two years and obviously when you play after so long you’re out of touch. But it was a good learning experience for more red-ball cricket in the future,” he said.

While in Tests we are used to watching Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja wreak havoc, in the limited overs formats they’ve been replaced by the younger duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. India could also stick to the latter combination for next year’s ICC World Cup.

“There is a lot of healthy competition for the spots. You know that if you don’t bowl well there’s always someone ready to take your place. It’s a good thing because it pushes you to work harder,” he mentioned.

Although the leg-spinner has tasted success, he isn’t looking to bask in it, and instead has set his gaze on further contributions. “What has happened in the past year is a big achievement for me as everyone wants to play for India. And I want to play for at least seven to eight years and not just play 30-40 matches. So I have to keep challenging myself to get better,” he added.

Chahal is likely to be back in the Indian team for the ODI and T20I series against the Windies.

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