Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra questioned whether the Indian selectors are looking beyond him after his omission from the India squad for the five-match T20 series against Australia, starting on Thursday. The Right-arm wrist spinner was not picked in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup 2023.
Yuzvendra Chahal is constantly among the wickets in the white-ball format of the game and has added more variations to his arsenal, making him more lethal in the shorter format of the game. Though he has performed well for India, he could not find a place in the playing 11 in the 2022 T20 World Cup and found himself out of ODI cricket due to team combination.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that he was surprised to see Yuzvendra Chahal not making it into the team for the five-match T20 series and questioned the Indian selectors regarding his future role with the Indian side.
“Ravi Bishnoi is there but Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal isn’t. It’s a slightly surprising thing to me that you have virtually turned your back on him. You neither played him in ODI cricket nor are you keeping his name for T20Is. Is he not good enough anymore?”
“You start getting a feeling like that, which is not a good feeling because Yuzi Chahal has done well. It seems like the selectors have made up their minds and you can’t do anything if someone has made up their mind,” Aakash Chopra said.
Yuzvendra Chahal had some memorable memories in the IPL 2023 as he surpassed the legendary Dwayne Bravo to become the highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL. The Indian star spinner now has 187 wickets in the Indian Premier League under his belt, but young Ravi Bishnoi found a spot in the team over him for the Australia series.
There Is No Doubt That Sanju Samson Is A Mighty Player – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels that the selection of Jitesh Sharma over Sanju Samson is a massive hint by the Indian selectors going into the 2024 T20 World Cup and believes that their home fans would be disappointed by his snub for the series despite his consistent performance in the IPL.
“Jitesh Sharma is ahead of Sanju Samson. I feel it is a huge statement from the selectors about whom they are looking towards. There is no doubt that Sanju Samson is a mighty player and a match will be played at his home (Thiruvananthapuram) as well.”
“His lifesize poster will be made but he won’t be there. The entire stadium will sing – ‘We miss you, Sanju Samson’. I have started feeling that they are not thinking about him because he opens or plays at No. 3 in the IPL and they don’t have a place for him there,” Aakash Chopra added.
Sanju Samson has shown consistency for the Indian team but the team has opted to go with Ishan Kishan and Jitesh Sharma as the wicketkeeper batters for the five-match series. The duo has done a splendid job for the team in the given opportunities in recent times.
