Former India opener turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise at experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal not being given a central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Chopra said that the snub is an indication that he is out of the radar of the selectors and team management. Meanwhile, he is not the one as the other renowned player who missed are – Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Umesh Yadav.

“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. But 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 commented.

However, Chahal was a vital cog of the Indian limited-overs squad for a few years between 2016 and 2019. Chahal has the experience of playing 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is, in which he has claimed 121 and 96 scalps, respectively as well. According to Chopra, bowling all-rounder Deepak Chahar could manage a central contract had he not missed out on matches due to his father’s illness. Notably, he pulled out of the South Africa ODIs citing a family medical emergency.

“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,” Aakash Chopra concluded.