Yuzvendra Chahal Told Ravichandran Ashwin He Scored A Ton In U-19 And Should Be Sent To Bat. This Was Spin Great's Reaction
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin recalled a hilarious anecdote involving spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who claimed to have scored a century during his Under-19 days
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin recalled a hilarious anecdote involving spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who claimed to have scored a century during his Under-19 days and would often request to open the innings when the two played together for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ashwin was speaking on JioHotstar's Champions Waali Commentary. Ashwin and Chahal, two of the IPL's most decorated bowlers, shared the dressing room as part of the RR squad from 2022 to 2024.
Speaking on the show, JioStar expert Ashwin recalled listening to Chahal boasting about his batting prowess, but humorously questioned whether he even possessed the power in his arms to clear the boundary.
"Chahal once told me that he used to bat during his Under-19 days and even claimed to have scored a hundred back then. He said that in a high-pressure situation, if the team needed someone to step up, they should send him in. But honestly, my question is simple: where is Chahal going to find the power to clear the boundary?" he said.
Ashwin also recalled that during their time with RR, Chahal would frequently ask the management to let him open the batting. On one occasion, he even told Ashwin - who often batted up the order for the Royals - that he wanted to bat, leaving the all-rounder concerned about the spinner's safety against high pace.
"We spent three seasons together at Rajasthan Royals. I noticed that wherever he goes, he keeps asking to open the batting. I remember padding up because RR used to send me up the order. But Chahal would walk up and tell me to take my pads off because he wanted to go out to bat instead. If he goes out to face the new ball against Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, then who is going to bowl for us? More importantly, he might end up hurting himself against that kind of pace," he signed off.
Interestingly, Chahal has not scored even 1,000 runs across all formats in professional cricket, and his highest score remains 48 in first-class cricket.
Chahal is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, with 228 wickets in 183 matches at an average of 23.18 and an economy rate of 8.03, with best figures of 5/40. In 152 appearances for Team India across both limited-overs formats combined, Chahal has taken 217 wickets
Yuzvendra Chahal
Ravichandran Ashwin
Rajasthan Royals
Punjab Kings