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Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has announced his retirement from first-class cricket, bringing his red-ball career to an end while keeping his hopes of playing for India in white-ball cricket alive.
Chahal made the announcement on Friday, saying his decision would allow him to focus completely on the limited-overs formats. The 36-year-old never played a Test match for India, despite carrying the dream of earning a Test cap throughout his career.
Chahal played his final first-class match for Northamptonshire against Middlesex at Lord’s. He finished his first-class career with 148 wickets from 49 matches at an average of 32.27, including a best bowling performance of 6/25.
His first-class journey began with Haryana in 2009. Although red-ball cricket was never the biggest part of his domestic career, Chahal said the format played an important role in shaping him as a cricketer.
He described the red ball as the first cricket ball he held as a child and credited the format with teaching him patience, resilience and the importance of fighting for every run and wicket.
While Chahal has closed the door on first-class cricket, he made it clear that he does not consider his playing career over.
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The leg-spinner said his desire to represent India remains strong and that he believes he still has enough cricket left in him to earn another opportunity in ODIs and T20Is.
Chahal has represented India in 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is, taking 121 wickets in ODIs and 96 in T20Is. His last international appearance came against the West Indies in August 2023.
He was also part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad.
Chahal’s retirement from first-class cricket now puts the focus firmly on his limited-overs career. He continues to feature in domestic white-ball cricket and remains the leading wicket-taker in IPL history.
His latest decision marks the end of one chapter, but Chahal’s own message suggests another one could still follow with the India comeback dream very much alive.
