The curious case of Yuzvendra Chahal

When Arshdeep Singh became India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is in the first T20I against England, there was a mixture of massive praise followed by bemusement among Indian fans. The praise was obviously for Arshdeep's incredible achievement but why the bemusement? Alas, it was for the man he overtook to go to the mountain top - Yuzvendra Chahal.

It had many wondering where Chahal had been in the T20I and ODI formats, considering he remains one of the first names in Purple Cap tables every IPL season.

For starters, the 34-year-old's overall numbers read:

72 ODIs, 121 Wickets, 27.13 Average, 5.26 Economy

80 T20Is, 96 Wickets, 25.09 Average, 8.19 Economy

The numbers are without a shadow of a doubt nothing short of impressive, forcing former Indian batter Aakash Chopra to raise concerns about Chahal's place in the Indian setup.

"An interesting case is Yuzi Chahal's. He last played in January 2023. So it's been two years for him. His numbers are very good; he has picked up a lot of wickets and was consistently doing well. However, he has been totally finished. His file has been closed. I have got no idea why they did that," Chopra said as quoted by TOI.

While Yuzvendra Chahal hasn't found a place in the Indian T20I squad since the 2024 World Cup, he was recently excluded from the 15-member 2025 Champions Trophy squad. With India going great guns in T20Is and reasonably impressive in ODIs, Chahal's prospects of future selection at age 34 look bleak.

Hence, it is only fair we look closer at what exactly transpired for one of India's best white-ball spinners just a few years ago and an IPL legend to be sidelined for some time now.

When did Yuzvendra Chahal last play for India in ODIs and T20Is?

Chahal's poor 2023 tour of the West Indies may have been the final nail in his coffin [Credit: Getty]

Yuzvendra Chahal was very much a regular in the Indian lineup in ODIs and T20Is from 2017 to 2022. With wrist spin being the order of the day in the white-ball formats, the 34-year-old was one of India's key match-winners during that stretch.

Yet, Chahal's last T20I appearance for India came ironically the last time they lost a short format series in the West Indies in August 2023. After two wickets each in the first two matches of the series, Chahal struggled with combined figures of 1/120 in 12 overs in the final three outings.

His latest ODI appearance for India dates even further back to January 2023 when he played the finale of a three-match series against New Zealand in Indore. Despite producing reasonable figures of 2/43 in seven overs, Chahal never played for the Men in Blue in the 50-over format since.

However, he was in the squad for the next two bilateral ODI series against Australia and the West Indies before being dropped for the Asia Cup. Similarly, Chahal earned a recall to the side for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the shortest format after being excluded from the T20I squad after the 2023 West Indian series.

Unlucky or unfair in ODIs?

Kuldeep's extraordinary ODI performances have played a massive role in Chahal's exclusion [Credit: Getty]

Yuzvendra Chahal's consistent exclusion from India's ODI setup goes further than just form and numbers. The 34-year-old enjoyed an excellent 2022 season in 50-over cricket with 21 wickets in 14 outings at an average of 27.09 and an economy of 5.48.

Chahal played only the two ODIs at the start of 2023, picking up 3 wickets, before warming the benches and ultimately getting dropped from the Indian ODI side since the Asia Cup later that year. It is crystal clear that form couldn't have been the reason, considering he barely had a sub-par stretch of games.

Yet, one must remember that Indian cricket has been spoilt for choices when it comes to white-ball spinners. Kuldeep Yadav's incredible ODI form since 2022 has made him India's No.1 spin-bowling option.

The advantage of being capable batters placed the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar ahead of Chahal for second and third-spinning options. With almost all the Indian pacers being walking wickets with the bat, India prioritized batting depth as it pertained to choosing a second spinner.

It meant the famous 'Kulcha' partnership (Kuldeep and Chahal) had to be broken up to avoid a long tail and one of Jadeja, Sundar, and Axar have predominantly played as the second spinner to Kuldeep since 2023.

Did Chahal warrant a place and not have been dropped purely on numbers in ODIs? Yes. However, for the sake of team balance, his own ineptness with the willow, and Kuldeep marching ahead of him as the primary wrist spinner, India cannot be faulted for looking past Chahal to the finger spinners with batting capabilities.

Verdict: Unlucky

Unlucky or unfair in T20Is?

Should Bishnoi have gone ahead of Chahal in the pecking order in T20Is [Credit: Getty]

If Chahal deserved a spot in the ODI side on form but was fairly excluded on team balance and his lack of batting skills, the reserve holds true in T20Is. The veteran spinner did not have the greatest 2023 season in T20Is, picking up only nine wickets in as many games with an economy of over 8.70.

His poor last three outings in the 2023 West Indian series (120 average, economy 10) played a role in India losing the series, making his dropping justified. The emergence of Ravi Bishnoi and more recently Varun Chakaravarthy in T20Is has made life even harder for Chahal to earn a spot in the side.

Chahal even struggled by his high standards in IPL 2024, picking up only 18 wickets at an average of over 30 and a poor economy of 9.41. Yet, all that said, he was picked in the Indian 2024 T20 World Cup squad, meaning his selection had some valid reason behind it.

However, without playing a single game in the tournament, Chahal has been done away with since, despite India regularly playing three spinners in the XI, including the spin-bowling all-rounder.

While Bishnoi played instead of Chahal more in the second-string sides, his impressive performances coupled with Chahal's sub-par IPL 2024 has seen the former leap ahead in the pecking order. Yet, Kuldeep is almost certainly expected to slot back in the XI, as he did in the 2024 T20 World Cup, once fit.

With India on a dominant run in T20Is and the spinners pecking order seemingly settled, Chahal's return to the side looks unlikely, barring a combination of poor form from one or two of the spinners and a string of team losses. The upcoming IPL 2025 may be one final go for Chahal to win back a place in the Indian short format squad, yet, no one would bet on the same.

Nevertheless, Chahal's continued IPL domination compared to the other Indian spinners over the past several years and the unwritten hierarchical rule for selection must count for something.

Verdict: Unfair