Not fair to compare us with Ashwin and Jadeja, says Chahal

› The ball to Mathews drifted in and turned away. He played the wrong line and was bowled. It was my ball of the match. YUZVENDRA CHAHAL, India spinner

VISAKHAPATNAM: Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav’s three wickets each in the final ODI played a big part in Sri Lanka collapsing from 160/2 to 215 all out. The legspinning duo’s contribution helped India clinch their eighth consecutive bilateral series win and it has led to comparisons of the duo with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

However, speaking in the postmatch press conference, Chahal said the comparison with Ashwin and Jadeja was not right. “Ashwin and Jadeja have done so much in the last 5-6 years. We have played only for four-five series. If you start comparing , it will not be right. We have played most of our games in India, one series in Sri Lanka where conditions were similar to India. We have not played much overseas,” Chahal stated.

After getting rid of Upul Tharanga for 95, India were eyeing the key wicket of Angelo Mathews, who had scored a century in Mohali. The former Sri Lankan skipper was looking dangerous but on 17, Chahal sent him back with a ripping legbreak. Sri Lanka never recovered and the 27-year-old recalled the dismissal. “I was getting turn from the other end. I wanted to vary my pace. When you bowl flatter, the batsman thinks that the ball will not turn much. The ball to Mathews drifted in and turned away. He played down the wrong line and got bowled. It was the ball of the match for me,” Chahal said.

For all of India’s dominant run at home, the focus remains on the all-important tour to South Africa. Chahal said his focus remains on the upcoming threematch T20 series starting on December 20. “The wickets in SA will be good and flat but there will be some extra bounce. That is the plus point there. We have a break of a month after the T20I series. I have a habit of taking it one series at a time. I am not thinking about South Africa at all,” he said.