Not only has he emerged as one of the best spin bowlers in the world over the last 2-3 years, Yuzvendra Chahal has also earned a loyal fan following among Indian cricket watchers over his easy-going style and sense of humour.
His 'Chahal TV' is extremely popular among fans and has been used by the BCCI to bring supporters of Indian team closer to the players. While the leggie will have to wait for his turn, if it comes at all, to get into the Test team, his position in the ODI side seems rock solid.
But Chahal is keeping a close eye on the ongoing Test series between India and South Africa. On day 4 of the Test, as the Indians were piling up a big lead and increasing the target for the visitors to chase in the fourth innings, there came an interesting moment when Proteas wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock found himself in a reclining position on the ground with his legs crossed.
In today's world of social media, no opportunity is missed by quick-witted Tweeters to see the funny side of an occurrence. This unique pose of de Kock reminded one of them of a picture of Chahal in almost an identical position. This resulted in a meme where the pictures of both the players in the above-mentioned pose along with a witty line was posted.
The meme read, "Dear de Kock, stop copying our Chahal." Yuzvendra was quick to notice this funny poster and tweeted it from his own handle with an even wittier text. "Quiny bhai aapse na ho paayega (Quinny bro, you won't be able to)" referring to a popular Bollywood movie dialogue that is in vogue these days.
Of course, de Kock would need some translating to understand what the leg-break bowler was up to. Apart from the translation, de Kock would also need some context to fully grasp the humour of the words.
But the South African wicket-keeper batsman will have bigger things in his mind at the moment. His team is in a difficult situation and has to bat out the entire fifth day to save the first Test match against India.
Considering his brilliant knock in the first innings, de Kock would be expected to play a big role in his side's rescue effort on the final day. It would be a tough task for the left-hander as his natural style of free-flowing stroke-play may not be suited to the situation. Or, it may be perfect as a little counter-attack may just be what his team needs to break the momentum of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
