The best way for a player to answer doubters is by performing on the field of play, more so if that person happens to be a senior. Yuzvendra Chahal has done exactly so, be it in international cricket or the IPL.

The snub from India’s T20 World Cup squad last year obviously didn’t go down well with the 31-year-old leg-spinner. From being one of the regulars in India’s white-ball teams since January 2017, Chahal all of a sudden found himself dumped on the basis of a few indifferent performances.

But class is something that’s permanent. And it’s purely Chahal’s class that has quickly regained him a place in the national team. He made a comeback late in November last year in the home T20Is versus New Zealand, which followed soon after Team India’s horrendous T20 Cup campaign in the UAE.

In the ongoing IPL, Chahal has already taken his tally of wickets to 17 in six matches so far, with a sensational five-for, including a hat-trick, versus the Kolkata Knight Riders, which eventually won Rajasthan Royals the game from a critical stage at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.

Precisely, discipline and sincerity have been primary in the making of Chahal 2.0, feels former national selector Sarandeep Singh. Sarandeep, a former off-spinner who represented India in three Tests and five ODIs, was a part of the MSK Prasad-led selection committee under which Chahal’s international career began to blossom.

“Chahal seems to be a lot more disciplined now when it comes to his bowling.

Previously, when he used to be taken for runs, it used to affect his performance in the subsequent matches as well, which isn’t the case now.

“At present, he makes sure to bounce back very quickly even if he has been expensive in a game. Besides, one can gauge a lot more sincerity in him, which is equally important,” Sarandeep told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

“His ouster from the T20 World Cup was indeed quite surprising. But when you get that kind of a jolt, it can also help you to try and do things even better. That appears to be the case with Chahal as his bowling is much more disciplined than what it used to be.”

Since his return to the Team India scheme of things, Chahal has featured in five T20Is and taken as many wickets in them, conceding 129 runs in 19 overs. His economy rate in those matches is less than seven an over (6.79), which is not at all bad considering the format.

He has played five ODIs as well since his India comeback, taking seven wickets. In those games too, he did quite well in terms of his economy rate (4.97), having conceded 241 runs after bowling 48.5 overs.

Need for consistency

It’s imperative that Chahal remains disciplined, considering the competition among spinners currently in Indian cricket, Sarandeep emphasised. “In fact, he should be consistent with this discipline because of the highly competitive scenario now in Indian cricket. There are so many spinners around and most of them are performing.

“But Chahal, at present, is in a stage from where he will keep moving forward and progress,” the ex-selector pointed out.

Faith in leg-spin

Another good sign for Chahal has been his renewed faith in conventional leg-spin, which has been earning him wickets lately. In fact, it was the traditional leg-spin that got him the hat-trick on Monday, when he dismissed Pat Cummins.

“Previously, he would look to bowl more of the googly and top-spin alongside trying to vary his pace. But nowadays, he’s getting most of his wickets through conventional leg-spin. If a leg-spinner takes most of his wickets bowling leg-spin, his performance graph keeps moving forward,” Sarandeep explained.

‘Flag-bearer of tribe’

Lasith Malinga, bowling coach of Rajasthan Royals, feels that Yuzvendra Chahal is the flag-bearer for all leg-spinners as he showed on Monday how special a tribe they are in cricket.

Chahal (5/40) turned the game against Kolkata Knight Riders on its head as he took four wickets, including a hat-trick, in one over.

“Chahal is the most experienced leg-spinner in the country and in this tournament. He showed how to control the skill… That’s more important for him going forward,” Malinga said at the post-match media conference after the Royals won by seven runs.

“Leg-spinners have more wicket-taking options and he changed the game in a single over. He showed all the leg-spinners that they are match-winning bowlers in this competition,” the Sri Lankan added.