"The South Africans have attacked him relentlessly" - Aakash Chopra dissects Yuzvendra Chahal's ineffectiveness

Former batter Aakash Chopra reckons that South Africa have got the better of Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20I series so far because almost every batter has looked to attack him.

31-year-old Chahal has claimed only one wicket in the two games that have been played in the ongoing series. He had figures of 0 for 26 from 2.1 overs in the opening T20I and 1 for 49 from four overs in the second.

Chahal was the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2022, claiming 27 wickets for the Rajasthan Royals (RR). However, he struggled towards the end of that tournament as well, picking up only one wicket in three playoff matches.

In a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked why Chahal has struggled to recreate his IPL magic against the Proteas. He explained:

“The South Africans have attacked him relentlessly. (Dwaine) Pretorius, (Quinton) de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen have all taken him on. Heinrich Klaasen has taken him down big time. He did the same once in South Africa as well.”

On what the spinner can do better in the upcoming games, he opined:

“He might have to bowl a bit slower. Also, I feel he is bowling too close to the stumps, maybe he can bowl a little outside.”

Apart from Chahal, left-arm spinner Axar Patel has also failed to make an impact on the South African batters in the two T20Is. Without being too harsh on the cricketer, Chopra admitted:

“Axar is a good player but time is running out for him. He did not have a good IPL. When Ravindra Jadeja returns, he will be the first choice. Axar does bring depth in batting but things are looking tough for him.”

28-year-old Axar claimed 1 for 40 from four overs in the first T20I in Delhi. He bowled only one over in Cuttack, in which he was taken for 19 runs.

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“Arshdeep deserves a chance ahead of Umran” - Aakash Chopra

While many critics have been batting for young fast bowler Umran Malik’s inclusion in the playing XI for the third T20I against South Africa in Vizag, Chopra has a different take. According to him, Arshdeep Singh should get the nod ahead of the J&K pacer. He opined:

“I feel Arshdeep deserves a chance ahead of Umran, going by the pecking order. He is a left-armer, who can bowl in the powerplay. He is a gun death bowler. He can come in place of Harshal Patel or Avesh Khan. As much as you and I want Umran to play, I feel he will need some time and cannot be drafted in immediately.”

While Umran claimed 22 wickets in 14 matches for SRH in IPL 2022, Arshdeep picked up 10 scalps for PBKS at an economy rate of 7.70.