Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the lynchpins in India’s bowling arsenal, especially in T20Is. With 91 scalps to his credit, the wrist spinner is currently the highest wicket-taker for the country in the shortest format of the game. But surprisingly, he is yet to play a T20 World Cup. Back in 2021, when the event was held in the UAE, he wasn’t picked in the squad as the selectors preferred Rahul Chahar over him. Later in 2022, he was named in the list of 15 players but didn’t get a game.
Chahal recently opened up on his T20 World Cup snub in 2021, which was also the last assignment of Virat Kohli as Indian skipper in the shortest format of the game. The mega ICC event held in the UAE and Chahal had been impressive in the IPL that year which was held in the country just a month prior.
Speaking with YouTube Ranveer Allahabadia on a podcast, Chahal admitted that he was saddest when he was not picked for the tournament.
“When I was not picked up for the 2021 T20 World Cup, I felt the saddest. I had to play IPL in Dubai at that time. She (wife) was with me at that time. The next day, we had to catch a flight for Dubai,” said Chahal on the podcast.
“We had to go there to continue the IPL matches that were postponed due to Covid. We also had to quarantine for a week. Otherwise, you could have gone out to relax. The best thing was she was with me, so I could control my anger. If she would not have been there, I would have been more frustrated.
“She was with me. We used to exercise together. We watched some chilled-out movies. I was feeling strange because Virat [Kohli] was the captain [of the Indian team] and I was playing under Virat there as well [in IPL]. But I never ask anyone why I was not picked. Have never asked,” he added.
Chahal further revealed that his wife Dhanashree helped him concentrate on giving his best for the RCB in the UAE leg. As a result, the wrist spinner ended up taking 18 wickets in the 15 games that season.
“She made me realize that what’s happened has happened, but my team (RCB) needs me for the seven matches that are remaining. Just prove yourself. She told me to remove all my anger on the ground – in the sense that just go and perform. I realized she is right. Then, I took out my anger and frustration on the ground. But yeah, that was the saddest phase,” he said.
Kohli’s statement for picking Chahar over Chahal
“It was a difficult and challenging call. We decided to back Rahul Chahar for a reason, he is a guy who bowls with pace. Bowled well in Sri Lanka and in England also he was good. The wickets in UAE will be slow and the guys who bowl with some pace, attack with stumps and that is the factor that tipped the balance in favour of Rahul,” Kohli had said.
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