Last month, India unveiled its 16-player squad for the World cup. While the core team consisted of expected choices, one noticeable absence was Yuzvendra Chahal. Esteemed cricketer Harbhajan Singh expressed surprise at this decision and speculated that Chahal would likely return for the World Cup. However, despite a last-minute spot becoming available in the squad, Chahal was once again overlooked. This marks the first instance where Chahal has spoken about his exclusion from the World Cup selection.
Chahal, in an interview with Wisden India, shared his feelings about being left out of the World Cup squad. He admitted to feeling disappointed but also humorously mentioned that this has now occurred three times in his career. Chahal acknowledged the constraints of selecting only fifteen players for a World Cup, expressing some sadness but emphasizing his determination to move forward. “I understand that only fifteen players can be a part of it because it’s a World Cup, where you can’t take 17 or 18,” Chahal said. “I do feel a little bad, but my motto in life is to move on. I’m used to it now. It’s been three World Cups.
Previously, Chahal was not selected for the 2021 T20 World Cup despite performing well in the IPL that year. Now, for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, set to start on October 5 in India, Chahal was once again left out. Instead, India chose Kuldeep as the main spin option, with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel serving as spin-bowling all-rounders.
There was indeed a late opening in the squad, with Axar got injured during the Asia Cup. Subsequently, the selectors decided to evaluate Ashwin and Washington Sundar, both of whom had not participated in an ODI match for nearly 20 months, during the home series against Australia. About a week later, when Axar was officially ruled out of the World Cup squad, India opted for the experienced Ashwin to be part of the team for the home
tournament.
