Yuzvendra Chahal’s non-selection for the Asia Cup 2023 has sparked a massive debate in the cricketing circle. India’s 17-man squad for the forthcoming tournament was announced in a press conference, addressed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma, on Monday in Delhi. While the inclusion of rookie batter Tilak Varma caused quite a stir, Chahal’s snub also raised a few eyebrows. In fact, Agarkar added that this will more or less be the same unit that’ll play the World Cup 2023, starting October 5.
Explaining Chahal’s exclusion, the chairman of selectors said the wrist spinner had to be left out in order to find the correct balance in the side.
“Chahal was discussed, but sometimes it is the balance of the side we had to look at. Kuldeep has been really good, Axar has done well, but to fit two wrist spinners was difficult, so Chahal had to miss out,” Agarkar told reporters.
The decision of leaving out Chahal has left the experts of the game divided on opinion. Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar felt it is Kuldeep’s batting, which gave him the edge. Speaking with India Today, the former said,
“Sometimes you’re looking at the balance of the team. Maybe, you can say that Kuldeep is a handy batter down the order, so maybe that’s why he gets the nod ahead of Chahal. Also, he brings a left-hand variety.”
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to microblogging site X, stating that the return of Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna after a long break might have compelled the selectors to have a sixth bowling option who can bat.
“Worry for selectors that Bumrah and prasidh coming back from long lay off. That’s one of the two reason you will see India team playing with an extra bowler who can bat. I would have chahal in my squad. What do you guys think? #AsiaCup,” Pathan posted on Monday.
Worry for selectors that Bumrah and prasidh coming back from long lay off. That’s one of the two reason you will see India team playing with an extra bowler who can bat. I would have chahal in my squad. What do you guys think? #AsiaCup— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) August 21, 2023
While Kuldeep was preferred ahead of Chahal, the other two spinners in the team were Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Both of them have proved their batting abilities across formats and will definitely add depth to India’s batting line-up.
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