Yuzvendra Chahal, the premier Indian spinner, on Friday, announced his retirement from red-ball cricket, effective immediately. The leg-spinner who never got a chance to play Tests for India played his last game in whites at Lord's Cricket Ground for Northamptonshire. Chahal took to Instagram to announce his decision, saying he will now give it his all to try and make a comeback into India's white-ball teams.
Chahal played 49 first-class matches in his career, scalping 148 wickets with an average of 32.27, with his best figures being 6/25. He recently played county cricket for Northamptonshire, and in his last match against Middlesex at Lord's, he returned with two wickets.
In the 2026-27 season, the 36-year-old played five matches in the County Championship, taking 21 wickets, with his best haul coming against Durham, where he took a total of nine wickets, including a fifer in the first innings.
“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. For me, red-ball cricket was never just another format. It was where I learned the meaning of patience, character, resilience and the pure joy of being out there for hours, fighting for every run and every wicket,” Chahal wrote on Instagram.
{{/usCountry}}“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. For me, red-ball cricket was never just another format. It was where I learned the meaning of patience, character, resilience and the pure joy of being out there for hours, fighting for every run and every wicket,” Chahal wrote on Instagram.
{{/usCountry}}“I played my last First-Class match at Lords, saying these words is emotional as 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.
‘Not done yet’
While Chahal might have retired from red ball, he made it clear that the fire still burns bright to play again for India, saying he will give it his all to try and make a comeback into the Indian ODI and T20I teams.
“The red ball gave me some of the most beautiful memories of my life, and nothing will ever take that away. But I AM NOT DONE YET. 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,” wrote Chahal.
“From a 10-year-old holding his first red ball to playing his final First-Class game, it has been one hell of a journey,” he added.
Chahal never got a chance to play Test cricket for India, and his last appearance for the national team across any format came in August 2023 when he played a T20I against the West Indies. Moreover, his last ODI appearance for the Men in Blue came in January 2023 against New Zealand in Indore.
So far, Chahal has played 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is for India, taking 217 wickets across the two formats. He has been a consistent performer for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but still a national team call-up has evaded him.