Yuzvendra Chahal beat New Zealand in chess before India won T20I series

In a long flight to Thiruvananthapuram for the third T20I, Chahal and NZ spinner Ish Sodhi spread out the chessboard for a different India vs New Zealand match, and the hosts won that as well.

New Delhi: It's not a secret that besides cricket, India legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal is a master at the game of chess as well having represented the country at the junior level before turning to bat and ball. But you don't often see cricketers from two rival teams spreading out the chess mat on board a flight and try to checkmate each other. That's what happened when India vs New Zealand turned into mind games as Chahal beat Kiwi legspinner Ish Sodhi all ends up. 

The two teams were together on a flight to Thiruvananthapuram for the third T20I, which India won on Tuesday to claim the series 2-1. But long before that, Chahal had beaten New Zealand single-handedly mid-air, foxing Sodhi on the chess board. 

Hard luck my brother @ish_sodhi #betterlucknexttime pic.twitter.com/XzimLDwKT3

— yuZvendra Chahal23 (@yuzi_chahal) November 5, 2017

But Sodhi was in no mood to give up after losing the match on a mobile application and demanded a rematch. But the Kiwi spinner lost that too and hailed Chahal the champion

He tweeted, “Rematch has already happened… fair to say, chess champion for a reason @yuzi_chahal #toogood”

Rematch has already happend... fair to say, chess champion for a reason @yuzi_chahal #toogood pic.twitter.com/8cHxbFoXGy

— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) November 5, 2017

Chahal was quick to remind Sodhi that it's 2-0.

Rematch has already happend... fair to say, chess champion for a reason @yuzi_chahal #toogood pic.twitter.com/8cHxbFoXGy

— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) November 5, 2017

Sodhi then suggested that he had enough time to make it even as it was a long flight.

No worries, long flight https://t.co/pMe7eUcwgf

— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) November 5, 2017

Round 3, it seems, happened at the hotel in Thiruvananthapuram and looks like Chahal was the winner there as well, completing the hat-trick.

Waiting for round 4 now bro

— yuZvendra Chahal23 (@yuzi_chahal) November 6, 2017

A day later, on Tuesday, Chahal bowled brilliantly with the ball as well, delivering a crucial two-over spell of 0/8 in India six-run win in the rain-curtailed third T20I against the Black Caps