Throwback - When Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web around England at Chinnaswamy

The Chinnaswamy is considered a bowler’s graveyard for a reason. The best of the best come to this cauldron of energy and get smacked all around the park. The merciless track, a batsman’s paradise, combined with a relatively small outfield means the bowlers get no respite. It is no surprise that the chasing team never feels out of the game.

Such was the case when the English team was touring India in 2017. A team which had remodelled itself after the 2015 world cup debacle, was full of batsmen who could hurt the opposition. Filled with potent batsmen upto No.10, the England team had power-hitting ability like no other. When the series tied at 1-a-piece, and the decider at the Chinnaswamy, toss was going to be crucial. Chasing has always been the more lucrative option at the Chinnaswamy, and the ability of the English batsmen to strike big at will meant they had no hesitation in chasing.

India, on the back of half-centuries from Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, had scored a formidable 202 on the board. But, the total was one which would be out of reach, even more so for a talented England batting lineup. India got off to the perfect start in their defence when Yuzvendra Chahal with his years of experience honing his skills to suit the horrors of the Chinnaswamy had Sam Billings caught. But the three lions roared back into the game with two strong partnerships - first between Jason Roy and Joe Root, and then between the latter and captain Eoin Morgan. With 7 overs to go, England needed 86 to win with 8 wickets still in the bag. The game was well-poised, perhaps slightly in favour of the visitors.

The game needed someone to grab it by the neck and pull it to one side. Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, had a familiar face in Yuzvendra Chahal to turn to, and with the game in the balance, he exercised his key weapon - Chahal - who offered the best attacking option on a familiar ground. That decision changed the game. Off consecutive balls, Chahal bagged both the set batsman, Morgan and Root. In his very next over, he neutralised the threat of Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, and Chris Jordon. England had plummeted from 119/2 to 127/8 in a span of 16 balls. The remaining two tail-enders could add no more runs, and England incredibly lost 8 wickets for 8 runs.

Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4 overs had yielded 6 wickets. 5 of them had been of the top 7. India won the game by 75 runs, and with it the T20 series. A total had been successfully defended at the Chinnaswamy. Chahal’s figures of 6/25 are the third-best ever for a spinner in T20 internationals to this day, second-best by any Indian bowler in T20Is, and the best at the Chinnaswamy by a fair margin.