India leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web around South Africa batsmen yet again when he claimed four wickets in the World Cup league stage match at the Hampshire Bowl on Wednesday.
Chahal dismissed Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, David Miller and Andile Phelhlukwayo to leave the Proteas reeling in Southampton. His strikes hurt South Africa every time they looked to rebuild.
The 28-year-old had a memorable tour of South Africa in January last year. He claimed 16 wickets in six matches, including a five-wicket haul in Centurion.
Chahal along with Kuldeep Yadav has been a key factor in India's dominance with the ball since the end of the 2017 Champions Trophy. However, he failed to find a place in the line-up towards the end of 2018 and at the start of 2019. He, then, returned to the XI and made a statement with a six-wicket haul against Australia in Melbourne.
Speaking to Sportstar about the period when he was out of the side, Chahal said, "I keep backing myself come what may. Every cricketer goes through a phase, there are two or three games where you don’t perform well. I was backing myself that time and remembered the good matches that I had had in my career."
India skipper Virat Kohli will be hoping that the leggie can maintain his wicket-taking form. Chahal was a key player for the Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019. He picked 18 wickets in 14 matches in the T20 tournament.
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