Aakash Chopra on the non-selection of all-rounders for the T20Is between India and Afghanistan
Deepak Chahar’s absence from India’s selection for the next Twenty20 International Series against Afghanistan has drawn criticism from Aakash Chopra.
The inaugural Twenty20 International (T20I) match between the Men in Blue and Ibrahim Zadran and associates is scheduled for Thursday, January 11 in Mohali. Of the 16 players chosen by the selectors on Sunday, just three are frontline seamers: Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, and Avesh Khan.
Aakash Chopra on the non-selection of all-rounders for the T20Is
Chopra expressed his opinion in a video posted on his YouTube channel, saying that if Chahar had shown up, he ought to have been on the team. He went on to say, “It’s interesting that just three fast bowlers were chosen. Here are Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, and Arshdeep. Despite being selected for the South Africa T20Is, Deepak Chahar was unable to go due to his father’s illness. Now his father is in excellent health. He must be accessible, I’m sure.”
“I should probably give him a call, but I haven’t. But why does he not play for the team? Although I can understand why Siraj and Bumrah can’t be there, his absence surprises me a little. I think Deepak Chahar’s name ought to have been there if he was available.”
Following 31 wickets in 25 Twenty20 Internationals, Chahar holds the record for most wickets taken by a bowler from a Test-playing country following his 6/7 against Bangladesh in 2019.
The seam-bowling all-round player’s father had a stroke, therefore he decided not to play in the last Twenty20 international match against Australia or the trip that followed. It’s unclear if he was eligible to play.
According to Aakash Chopra, Avesh Khan may have surpassed Prasidh Krishna in the Indian seamer rankings during Twenty20 Internationals.
Despite taking three wickets, Mukesh gave up an average of 11.0 runs per over in the two Twenty20 Internationals he played against South Africa. Arshdeep was just as costly and only managed one dismissal. But in the next three-match ODI series against the Proteas, the left-arm seamer bounced back, taking ten wickets.
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