The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the T20I and ODI squads, which will start their home series against the West Indies on February 6. The squad has seen a number of big changes, with young spinner Ravi Bishnoi earning a maiden international call-up, while Chinese spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also returned to the side. Meanwhile, newly appointed limited super team captain Rohit Sharma is also returning after completing a full recovery from a hamstring injury.
However, while the team has seen many new and returning faces, players such as Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy are still absent. Both teams are missing experienced deputy Ravichandran Ashwin, while South African ODI members Ishan Kishan and Venkatesh Iyer are out for the three-match series against the West Indies.
Former India opener Akash Chopra noted the absentees and said no statement was made on the reasons for their absence.
“Regarding Ashwin, I don’t know. He’s reportedly out for 1.5 months, but the BCCI hasn’t released anything like that. No one’s talking about Rahul Chahar or Varun Chakravarthy. We don’t really know where these guys are. ,” Chopra said on his official YouTube channel.
While Chopra expressed delight at the selection of Ravi Bishnoy, he insisted it was “surprising” not to see Rahul Chahal mentioned.
Speaking of the ODI team, Chopra said: “Ravi Bishnoy was the first pick. It’s very, very surprising that no one is talking about Rahul Chahar. I believe, Venkatesh Iyer was eliminated, Because he played two ODIs (in South Africa). Deepak Hooda got a chance and he offered a non-spin option. Even Ishan Kishan is no longer part of the team. It’s funny because all these guys (they don’t belonged to the team) was picked at the T20 World Cup a few months ago and I thought “Will you support them? “It doesn’t seem so.”
The former India opener further wants young Bishnoi to get chances on the wing rather than being treated “like Rahul Chahar”.
“Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy were both part of the T20 World Cup squad and now they are both sidelined. In the previous T20I series, Chahar was unavailable and said he was not suitable. But there is no talk about him anymore. Ravi Bishnoi is now the man of the month and I really hope he gets his chance and not outright like Rahul Chahar,” Chopra said.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
