India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Friday bid adieu to first-class cricket, but he still wants to play for the Men in Blue in white-ball formats.
Chahal never played a Test match for India despite trying his best. His final first-class appearance at Lord’s marked the end of his red-ball career. However, the spinner is not ready to retire from international cricket.
He made his first-class cricket debut for Haryana in 2009 and took 148 wickets from 49 matches at an average of 32.27.
In his most recent stint with Northamptonshire in the 2026 County Championship, Chahal picked up 21 wickets at an average of 16.14 in Division Two, recording the second-best average among the bowlers who dismissed at least 20 batters.
His final contest was against Middlesex at Lord’s, where his team, Northamptonshire, lost by seven wickets and failed to qualify for Division One.
Chahal wrote about his long association with red-ball cricket.
“The first cricket ball I ever held was a red ball. I was 10 years old, and I had no idea then how deeply I would fall in love with this game,” Chahal posted on Instagram.
He learned patience from red-ball cricket.
“A Test cap was always a dream, one that I carried with me for many years. It may not have happened, but I am genuinely content with the journey I have had and incredibly grateful for every opportunity that came my way in this format,” he added.
He is not giving up on his ambition of donning the Indian jersey once again.
“But I AM NOT DONE YET,” he wrote.
“The hunger to play for my country is still very much alive. I believe I have the cricket left in me, and I will give everything I have to earn another opportunity in the One-Day and T20 formats.”
He has been part of 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is, taking 121 and 96 wickets respectively. Chahal last played for India in 2023.
Although he is not in the scheme of things, Chahal continues to play List A cricket and the T20 format. He is also the leading wicket-taker in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has a contract with Punjab Kings (PBKS). He will next be seen in action in the 20th season of the cash-rich league.
Chahal is renowned for his variations and wicket-taking ability across formats.