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Amit Mishra has voiced his concerns regarding the treatment Yuzvendra Chahal has received from the BCCI and national selectors. Chahal, a seasoned leg-spinner, notably contributed to India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 victory but has faced inconsistencies in team selection.
Despite being part of the squad, he did not play in the matches in the USA and West Indies and was subsequently omitted from the team for the recent Zimbabwe tour. This pattern of sporadic selections has been a recurring theme for Chahal, particularly during ICC events in recent years.
Amit Mishra criticizes BCCI for overlooking Yuzvendra Chahal despite outstanding IPL performances.
Despite being one of the most successful leg spinners in white-ball cricket and consistently performing well in the IPL, Yuzvendra Chahal has faced persistent neglect from the Indian cricket team management.
Chahal, who holds the record for the most wickets in the IPL among spinners, did not get a chance to play a single match in the T20 World Cup. Despite being part of the squad for both the 2022 and 2024 editions, he remained on the bench throughout.
While it was anticipated that Chahal might miss out on the T20 World Cup 2024 due to team dynamics, there was expectation that he would be considered for the recent five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. However, once again, he was overlooked.
In a surprising move, the 33-year-old spinner was dropped from the Indian team, while his teammates from the T20 World Cup-winning squad, such as Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, were selected for the Zimbabwe tour.
Players deserve their chance to prove: Amit Mishra
In response to the selection controversy, Mishra noted that age has long influenced players’ careers in India, a trend he and others have experienced firsthand.
Amit Mishra said on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube channel: “There is a perception in the Indian team that they select specific players for the home and away conditions. If a bowler does well in India, there are quick judgments that he is not bowling well; he can’t do this and that. Such things have already happened to me, so I can relate to others.
What I’m suggesting is, unless you give him a chance, you won’t see his true potential. Dropping a player after just one match in a five-match series isn’t fair; he should have had a couple more chances to prove himself.”
The ex-spinner pointed out how Kuldeep Yadav had been off the radar before IPL 2024, with IPL teams not even considering him for selection for the past year and a half, but his situation changed drastically.
Amit Mishra demands clarity as Yuzvendra Chahal faces repeated exclusions from Team India.
He added that consistent opportunities help a player understand his strengths and areas needing improvement. However, being sidelined only leads to confusion for the player.
Mishra noted, “You can’t expect Chahal to score 40 runs; he can’t. You can expect him to contribute with the ball only. It is all about team selection. In the T20 World Cup, there was a need for one between Axar Pateland Ravindra Jadeja. But they played together despite doing the same job. The good thing is that India won the World Cup, but they could play Chahal along with one of them.”
On why Chahal dropped for the Zimbabwe tour, Mishra signed off by saying: “There is a concept running in the world to select young players. There are players who are 32, 33, and 37 years old, and they are meeting all the fitness expectations and performing well, so the team management should make things clear with them about their position. Give them clarity that you are not seeing them on the team. This thing is not new; it happened to me.”
