The exclusion of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal from India’s 17-member squad for the Asia Cup 2023 came as a surprise to many. The major reason behind why Yuzvendra Chahal was dropped from the Asia Cup 2023 team has been revealed. Ajit Agarkar, chairman of the selection committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has told why Yuzvendra Chahal has been dropped from the Asia Cup 2023 team.
India’s 17-member team for Asia Cup 2023 was announced on Monday, but Yuzvendra Chahal’s name was not in this team. After this, many questions started arising, why Chahal did not get a place in the team. Apart from six fast bowlers, India’s bowling lineup in the squad for Asia Cup 2023 includes three spinners in the form of Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. When asked about Chahal’s ouster, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said it is difficult to have two wrist spinners in the team and Kuldeep is ahead of Chahal in many ways.
Because of this Chahal was thrown out
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, ‘Yuzvendra Chahal is a great player for India, but sometimes we have to take a decision keeping in mind the team combination. Akshar Patel has done well and can bat as well. Kuldeep Yadav is consistently performing brilliantly with the ball and bat. At this time, it may be difficult to fit two wrist spinners.
This is the biggest weakness in Team India
Kuldeep Yadav is in form, he has taken 34 wickets in 19 ODIs since the beginning of 2022. On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal has played only two ODIs this year and has taken only three wickets. There was a time when both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal used to play together in ODIs, but now due to the abundance of all-rounders in the Indian team, there is only one place left. Another thing missing in India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2023 to be held from August 30 to September 17 is the lack of off-spin options. But to have more fast bowling options and depth in batting, the Indian team will have to field with this combination.
When Captain Rohit was asked a question about Chahal not being included in the Asia Cup team, he replied that Ashwin-Chahal and Sundar are all part of the World Cup plan. He said, ‘The doors of his joining the team are not closed. We had to take this decision because we could only include 17 players in the team. But for the experienced left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan, now the door of Team India seems to be closed, because India has three openers in the form of Rohit, Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan, who can be the backup opening option.
