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Cricket Players'Wasn't dropped in 4 years but got dropped for such a marquee event': Chahal opens up on the low of T20 World Cup snub
Chahal has been picked for the T20I series against New Zealand which begins from November 17 in Jaipur while Chahar has been dropped after the T20 World Cup
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Monday opened up on his T20 World Cup squad snub for the first time since the team announcement, saying that he found it difficult to come in terms with the decision, but his family and fans helped him bounce back.
A poor first half of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 saw Chahal fall out of contention in race to the T20 World Cup squad despite being part for the India's XI in the format in the last four years. He picked only four wickets in seven games in the India leg of the tournament, at an economy rate of 8.26. Rahul Chahar, who was picked in place of Chahal, snared 11 wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 7.21.
Chetan Sharma-led selection committee announced India's 15-man squad for the tournament a week before the start of the second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE. Chahar was picked ahead of Chahal as the selectors "wanted someone who bowls fast and gets pace off the pitch and also gets the ball to grip through the surface."
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“I was not dropped in four years and then I got dropped for such a marquee event. I felt really bad. I was down for two-three days. But then I knew the second leg of the IPL was still around the corner. I went back to my coaches and spoke to them a lot,” Chahal told the Times of India.
Chahal bounced back impressively to pick 14 wickets in eight matches in the UAE leg, at an economy rate of 7.06 while Chahar struggled immensely, managing only two wickets in four games at an economy rate of 7.73.
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ICC allowed to teams to make changes by October 10, but the selectors did not bring back Chahal.
“My wife and family were constantly encouraging me. My fans kept putting out motivational posts. That buoyed me. I decided to back my strengths and overcome my confusion. I couldn’t have sulked for long because that would have impacted my IPL form,” he added.
Chahal, however, has been picked for the T20I series against New Zealand which begins from November 17 in Jaipur while Chahar has been dropped after the T20 World Cup, where he played only one game, against Namibia.
