The fact that veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal hadn’t been given a central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken former India opener Aakash Chopra by surprise. Chopra thinks that the denial is a sign that team management and selectors are considering players other than Yuzvendra Chahal. The BCCI released the central contracts for the 2023–24 season on Wednesday, February 28.
Among the well-known figures that were left off the list were Umesh Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, and Cheteshwar Pujara. Chahal was one of them. Yuzvendra Chahal played between 2016 and 2019 as a permanent member of the Indian limited-overs team. He has been in and out of the team all of a sudden. In his 72 ODI and 80 T20I matches, Chahal has taken 121 and 96 wickets, respectively.
I am a bit surprised that Yuzvendra Chahal’s name is not there – Aakash Chopra
Of the prominent names absent from the list of new contracts, Chopra believes that Yuzvendra Chahal’s absence is unexpected.
“I am a bit surprised that Yuzi Chahal’s name is not there. Cheteshwar Pujara, Akinkya Rahane, and Shikhar Dhawan – their names not being there, I can understand. Even Deepak Hooda for that matter,” Chopra said.
“But Yuzvendra Chahal’s name not being there – what does that signify? It seems to indicate that they [BCCI] are looking in a different direction. This is a validation of the theory. He might have had a ray of hope, but it wasn’t to be. His name is not there,” Chopra expressed.
I was half-hoping that his name would be there- Aakash Chopra on Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar, an all-round bowler, could have had a chance to secure a central contract if he hadn’t missed games because of his father’s illness, according to Chopra. With a family medical emergency as the reason the medium pacer withdrew from the South Africa ODI series.
“Deepak Chahar was almost there I think. His father was not well, so he did not play, otherwise he would have played against Afghanistan. I was half-hoping that his name would be there, but if he plays the World Cup, and ends up playing 10 T20Is, his name would get added. But, at this point in time, it is not there. No other huge [surprises] other than that,” Chopra elaborated.
The injury-prone Chahar has taken 16 and 31 wickets in 13 ODIs and 25 T20Is, respectively. Against Australia in a T20I at Raipur in December 2023, he made his Team India debut.