Yuzvendra Chahal, the Indian spinner, shared a cryptic response on social media after not being selected for the upcoming Asia Cup squad, which was announced by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel. Chahal took to his X (formerly Twitter) account and posted a tweet with the “Sunrise” emoji, leaving fans intrigued by its meaning.
⛅️——> 🌞
— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) August 21, 2023
In the ongoing year 2023, Yuzvendra Chahal has played nine T20I matches and taken nine wickets. However, his stats are comparatively lower than Kuldeep Yadav, who has been chosen ahead of him. Kuldeep has claimed seven wickets in three matches, with the best figures of 4/6, and eight wickets in seven T20Is, with the best figures of 3/28.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled a robust 17-member squad for the forthcoming Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to commence on August 30. The squad includes the return of players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and the inclusion of Tilak Verma.
During the squad announcement, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar explained, “Axar Patel has done really well. He can bat too. Kuldeep Yadav has had a fantastic run to this point. So someone had to miss out. Kuldeep is currently a little ahead of him (Chahal).”
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that the team had deliberated between choosing an off-spinner or leg-spinner. He stated, “But we also want someone who can bat at number eight and nine. Axar has had a great run with the bat in all formats and the IPL. He got some chances in West Indies too, but he bats too low. Him being there gives us batting depth, a left-hand option and someone who we can use up the order to play spin.”
Rohit Sharma further emphasized that the door remains open for all players and that the selection choices were influenced by various factors, including the importance of seamers in upcoming matches. He assured that if needed, players like Chahal, Ashwin, and Washington Sundar could still find opportunities in the team.
The final Asia Cup squad consists of players such as Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna.
