On Monday, the BCCI declared a 17-member team for the Asia Cup, which will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka next week. This was announced by India’s captain Rohit Sharma and BCCIA chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who also stated that this would be the same team that will participate in the 2023 World Cup hosted shortly after. Jason Holder congratulated Yuzvendra Chahal after defending his bronze medal trophy against West Indies.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both injured, have been included in the team, which could be a great relief for fans. While Rahül may not play in some of the first games of this year’s Asia Cup, Agarkar confirmed that his fitness has improved.
During this time, there have been some noteworthy absences, and Yuzvendra Chahal has been the most talked-about player. The management chose to go for Kuldeep Yadav instead of him.
Chahal’s exclusion was met with mixed reactions among the former players, with Matthew Hayden expressing disappointment that it was not included.
PTI reported that the ex-Australian batter stated that they had considered Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav as potential options.
The squad was not the only one that mourned Chahal’s absence, as there were also comments made by former India captain Sourav Ganguly and ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan.
Chahal is my top pick, and I have a strong preference for wrist-spinners,’ Ganguly told Hindustan Times.
On social media, Pathan expressed his disappointment with the selectors’ decision of not playing Bumrah and Prasidh after a lengthy absence. This is one of two reasons why Indian teams should have an extra bowler who can bat, and I would include Chahal in their squad.
According to Sunil Gavaskar, Kuldeep’s batting skills may be the reason why he is chosen over Chahal.
Is there still a possibility for Chahal to make it past the elimination stage?
The possibility of Chahal being inserted into the World Cup team by the management is intriguing, given that the showpiece event starts on October 5 and the names of R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, and others will be announced in the press conference on Monday.
Share this article on social media.