Yuzvendra Chahal shares cryptic post after being snubbed from India's T20I squad for Australia series
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal didn't find a place in the Men in Blue's squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad for the series on Monday, November 20. Chahal was also not part of the roster for this year's Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup.
Reacting after the squad announcement, Chahal shared a cryptic emoji on social media. He posted on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter):
Yuzvendra Chahal's last international appearance came during India's five-match T20I series against West Indies earlier this year in August. However, it was an underwhelming series for him, finishing with five wickets from as many games at an economy rate of 9.05.
Chahal has picked up 96 wickets in 50 matches in T20Is and is the leading wicket-taker for India in the format. However, the crafty leg spinner has not been in the national selectors' scheme of things lately. Ravi Bishnoi got the nod over him for the Australia series.
Suryakumar Yadav to lead India in T20I series against Australia
Dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav, keeper-batter Ishan Kishan and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna were the only players from India's 2023 ODI World Cup squad to feature in the roster for the entire five-match home T20I series against Australia.
Suryakumar will lead the team in the absence of talismanic all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been on the sidelines due to an ankle injury. Opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad will serve as Suryakumar's deputy for the first three games.
Notably, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer will join the team as vice-captain for the last two fixtures. The T20I series opener between the two cricketing powerhouses is slated to be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, November 23.
India's squad for Australia series: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Shivam Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.