Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra spoke about the omission of Yuzvendra Chahal from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad. He pointed out that despite performing well, the leg-spinner was left out of the Indian squad.
Indian national cricket team spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been completely ruled out of the squad and it's fair to say that his comeback seems a long way off now. From being one of the biggest match winners to being close to the scenes, he has seen a big fall.
Yuzvendra Chahal played and picked 121 wickets at an average of 27.13 in 69 ODIs
Yuzvendra Chahal, who played a vital role for India in the ICC World Cup 2019, has not played an ODI for the team since January 2023. He was not even part of the ICC World Cup 2023 squad and now he has. I have not been named in the squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Yuzvendra Chahal has an excellent record in ODIs. The leg-spinner picked 121 wickets at an average of 27.13 in 69 ODI innings. In the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad, India have picked four spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
His Case Closed – Aakash Chopra on Yuzvendra Chahal
But Aakash Chopra said picking Yuzvendra Chahal in the team would have been a regressive step as he was out of the setup for a long time. He, however, was amazed at how the leg-spinner was ruled out despite having a good record. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he said:
“An interesting case is that of Yuzi Chahal. He last played in January 2023. So it's been two years for him. It's interesting because Bhuvi would have been expensive and didn't get wickets in the last 10 matches before he be eliminated but Yuzi Chahal's numbers are also very good.
“However, he was completely finished. His file was closed. I have no idea why they did that. That being said, since it's been two years since he was closed, there's no room for Yuzi here either because of as soon as you pick it out of the blue, it will be seen as a regressive step.”
If someone is not in the ODI setup for three years, how can they come? – Aakash Chopra on Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Aakash Chopra also opined that Bhuvneshwar Kumar could not have been picked as he has not played the format since 2022. He pointed out that three years is a long gap and bringing him back into the team would have been a step backwards. He added:
“The last ODI Bhuvneshwar Kumar played was in January 2022. He has not played ODI cricket since then. If someone is not in the ODI setup for three years, how can they come? Three years is a long time.
“Had he been out of the team for three years, you would have been abusing the selectors if they had kept him in the team. Then it would have been seen as a regressive step in terms of what happened to your other post. bowler for you to return to Bhuvi. So there was no place for Bhuvi here.
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