Shreyas banking on Chahal versus SA ‘A’

IT IS WIDELY BELIEVED THAT CHAHAL IS BEING KEPT MATCHREADY AS THE SELECTORS HAVE NAMED THE INDIA SQUAD FOR ONLY THREE TESTS

BENGALURU: India A captain Shreyas Iyer feels the return of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to red-ball cricket will help his team in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A here.

“Chahal will be playing redball cricket after a long time. Having a leg-spinner in the team is always an advantage, especially on these tracks; they can get wickets at any moment because you get lot of turn on this pitch,” Iyer said on the eve of the game. “It is going to be a great exposure for him because he carries lot of experience being a senior. Also, he has played in different conditions. He can play a major role if he backs himself.”

Chahal has not played firstclass cricket since December 2016 but the Indian team management and especially skipper Virat Kohli had indicated that he wants the wiry spinner for fiveday matches too.

It is widely believed that Chahal is being kept match-ready as the selectors have named senior squad for only three Tests in England.

Iyer himself is playing redball cricket after an eight-month gap and is looking forward to the challenge.

“I played my last match in December. My approach to redball has always been positive. I am very flamboyant in terms of my shot making and I always back myself. I always think positive about my batting. With regards to getting selected in the national team, it is not in my hands . I will do my job. That is to keep performing,” he said.