5 cricketers who surprised us in 2017

#4 Yuzvendra Chahal (ODIs & T20Is)

Yuzvendra Chahal has added variety to India's spin attack in the limited-overs formats

When the year began, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were India's primary spin duo across all three formats. A relentless Test season saw both spinners rested for T20I series against England. During the deciding clash, Yuzvendra Chahal emerged from nowhere and became the first Indian bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in T20Is. His 6/25 spun the visitors into submission on a viciously turning track at Bengaluru.

Following the underwhelming showing of Ashwin and Jadeja in the 2017 Champions Trophy, the Indian selectors finally woke up to the importance of utilising wrist-spin in the limited-overs formats.

While the promising Kuldeep Yadav was fast-tracked into the Indian squad on the basis of his performances at the U-19 level, Chahal's rise has not been as meteoric as his newfound spin partner. Apart from shining consistently in ODIs, the leg-spinner is also on the verge of ending 2017 as the year's top wicket-taker in T20Is.

Statistics for 2017

21 wickets from 14 ODIs at an average of 28.57 and economy-rate of 4.95

19 wickets from 10 T20Is at an average of 14.36 and economy-rate of 7.28 with one five-wicket haul