They say cricket is a funny game. All it takes is a few lusty blows or an inspired spell of bowling to change the course of a game. In India's case, it has been a selection swap with respect to their spinners post the Champions Trophy final loss against Pakistan at The Oval last year.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had such a disastrous tour that India pondered about following the bandwagon and bringing in a leg-spinner.
Successful limited-overs teams were finding ways to involve wrist spinners in the XI for the sheer impact they create in the middle overs.
India went a step further by fielding two of them – Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav – in the same XI, supposedly a high-risk ploy. But this selection switch has given India the much needed boost in ODIs, particularly with the two spinners complementing each other wonderfully well.
Let’s take a look at four stats that prove how good Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have been for India in the past few months.
1. Second and Third in Wicket-taker’s Chart
India have been supremely dominant since the showpiece even in England last year, winning 19 matches and losing just five.
In this period, India have managed to bowl their opponents out four times below 200 and have conceded runs at over six an over only four times, a record which shows that they have taken regular wickets without conceding too many runs.
Chahal and Kuldeep have been at the forefront of this mind-blowing run of form, taking 33 and 34 wickets respectively at averages of 23.66 and 19.79.
Kuldeep, with 34 wickets, is second in the list of most wicket-takers since the Champions Trophy while Chahal follows close on his heels with 33 scalps. Their choking effect in the middle period of ODIs have stifled opposition out many a times.
2. Before and After the Champions Trophy
What makes the wrist spin twins feat even more incredible is because of the lack of impact Ashwin and Jadeja had in the lead up to the Champions Trophy last year.
From the start of 2016 to the end of the Champions Trophy (a period of more than one and a half years) Ashwin and Jadeja picked up just 6 and 11 wickets respectively at averages of 80.50 and 60.27. The duo were not even among the top 50 wicket-takers in ODIs during this time frame.
Since the Champions Trophy, though, the introduction of Chahal and Kuldeep have seen Indian spinners prosper yet again in ODIs and they are perched comfortably in the top half of the chart. They have managed to silence the batsmen better and send them back to the hut quicker.
With a slew of variations up their sleeve, the wrist spin twins have been a huge bonus for India in limited-overs cricket.
3. Exceptional Strike Rate and Economy
The argument that Kuldeep and Chahal have been benefitted by the sheer amount of matches India have played since the Champions Trophy does not hold true for the simple fact that these two have a phenomenal rate at which they take wickets.
Kuldeep’s strike rate since the Champions Trophy is 25.1 while Chahal’s is 27.9, easily the best among spinners with at least 15 wickets.
Their economy has also stood out remarkably. Kuldeep's economy of 4.71 is the best among spinners while Chahal's 5.07 isn't too far behind either.
The duo have not only managed to take wickets at regular intervals but also managed to keep the run rate to a nominal level, something which has been instrumental in their success and India’s.
4. Dominating the Other Spinners
The class of Kuldeep and Chahal can be understood from the fact that the duo have contributed to 17.81% of the wickets to fall to spinners since the Champions Trophy. A total of 376 wickets have fallen to spinners in this time frame of which Kuldeep and Chahal have contributed 34 and 33 each.
To put things into perspective, Ashwin and Jadeja had contributed to a mere 2.09% of the wickets to fall to spinners between the start of 2016 and the end of the Champions Trophy.
The global strike rate for spinners post Pakistan's triumph in England is 42.3 but Chahal and Kuldeep have been so good that their strike rate hovers in the mid-20s.
(Rohit Sankar is a freelance cricket writer. He can be reached at@imRohit_SN)
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