Yuzvendra Chahal Shines in County Championship Comeback
Chahal's Impressive Return to County Cricket
Yuzvendra Chahal made a striking return in the 2025 County Championship, delivering a remarkable ball that dismissed Ekansh Singh, giving Kent an early setback on the final day of the match.
Kent batted first, managing to score 566 runs for 8 wickets over 155.5 overs in their first innings. Chahal, playing for Northamptonshire, bowled 42 overs but did not take any wickets, concluding his innings with figures of 0 for 129.
Northamptonshire responded with a formidable total of 722 runs for 6 wickets. Four of their batsmen achieved centuries: Ricardo Vasconcelos (100), Calvin Harrison (122), Saif Zaib (196*), and Justin Broad (157*). Saif Zaib remained unbeaten on 196 when Northamptonshire declared at lunch on Day 4, allowing him to bowl in the second innings.
Chahal's First Wicket in Style
During the second innings of the match, Chahal bowled the second over after Liam Guthrie had already dismissed opener Jaydyn Denly in the first over.
Chahal made his mark in the seventh over by taking out Ekansh Singh, who had scored 27 runs off 24 balls. He delivered a perfect ball that drifted in, pitched on leg stump, and sharply turned to knock over the off stump. This marked Chahal's first wicket of the match after bowling 45.3 overs.
Watch the video here:
7.3 | @yuzi_chahal that is delightful! 🤩
Chahal removes the off stump of Singh with an absolute beauty! 🌀
Kent 29/2.
Watch live 👉 https://t.co/CU8uwtfknL pic.twitter.com/HMFPgiyRp3
— Northamptonshire CCC (@NorthantsCCC) July 2, 2025
Chahal later took three more wickets, dismissing Ben Compton, Matthew Parkinson, and Wes Agar, finishing the innings with impressive figures of 4 for 51 in 30 overs. Kent concluded their second innings at 160 for 8, resulting in a draw.
Chahal is expected to play a vital role for Northamptonshire in both red-ball and white-ball formats this season. He previously made headlines with a personal best of 9 for 99 against Derbyshire last year and took 19 wickets in just 4 First-Class matches at an average of 21.