Discarded Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has opened up about his conversation with former Indian captain Rohit Sharma after his exclusion from the ODI World Cup 2023 squad. Notably, Chahal last played for India in August 2023 in a T20I against the West Indies.
Speaking on former Indian opener Aakash Chopra’s YouTube channel in an exclusive interaction, Chahal revealed that the Indian team management was looking to have more batting depth for the mega event.
“In 2023, when I went to play County, Rohit had told me that we want batters till number eight, so we were going with that. He told me clearly that they were also looking for an extra fast bowler for the World Cup. So it was made clear to me. After the World Cup, I just stopped thinking about selection,” Chahal said.
“In the IPL 2024, I just came to enjoy and did not put extra pressure on myself. That season, I did well, and Rohit told me he wanted me and we would see in the selection meeting,” he added.
On the other hand, Chahal was also omitted from the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 squad, but was later included in the next year’s T20 World Cup in 2022. However, he couldn’t get a game in that edition. Chahal disclosed that he was disappointed not to be a part of the squad in 2021.
“I felt worse in 2021 because I was not there at all. In 2022, at least I was in the team. Sometimes you also know the combination may not work. So I did not think a lot. But you always feel that you should have at least played one World Cup game. Rohit had told me that I would play only if a particular combination worked. So at least I had the clarity,” he concluded.
