Credit: Twitter
India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal made an immediate impact in the first T20I against West Indies in Trinidad on Wednesday. Chahal, who was playing his first T20I since December 2020, struck twice in his first over to put India in command. Chahal was introduced into the attack in the fifth over of the West Indies innings, after the hosts had won the toss and opted to bat first. On his very first ball, he trapped Kyle Mayers LBW with a googly that skidded through and hit the back pad.
Before losing his wicket, Mayers scored just one run off seven balls and tried to sweep but missed it. Two balls later, Chahal struck again with another googly that deceived Brandon King, who was looking dangerous after hitting four fours and a six in his 28 off 19 balls. King also went for a sweep but missed the ball and was rapped on the front pad. The umpire raised his finger, and King wasted a review as the ball was crashing the top of the middle stump.
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Chahal's twin strikes reduced the West Indies to 40 for two in five overs and gave India a big advantage in the match. Chahal, who had been out of favor for India in T20Is for a while, recently said that he was confident of making a comeback and performing well for his country.
Deserves more chances in ODI: Fans react after Chahal’s impressive first over
Playing his first game on the tour, Chahal impressed with two wickets in his first over. Fans on Twitter praised Chahal for his brilliant performance and also questioned why he was not given more chances in ODIs by India. Some fans also compared him with Kuldeep Yadav, who was dropped from the squad after a poor run of form.
However, it was not all sun and hay for Chahal, as he dropped a catch in the 15th over of dangerous Rovaman Powell off Hardik Pandya’s bowling. While standing at extra covers, Powell smoked one towards Chahal, who dived to his right but could not hold on. Powell made Chahal and the Indians pay immediately, as he hit Pandya for a six over deep mid-wicket on the very next ball. Powell went on to make an important 48 off 32 balls and was eventually dismissed by Arshdeep Singh. The West Indies have put up a below-par total of 149, and India will look to make this a light work and go 1-0 up in the series.