Aakash Chopra questions omission of this star player from T20I squad

The Indian Cricket Board has revealed the squad for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka, which will commence on July 27. Notably, the squad marks the surprise inclusion and notable omissions from the list. The world number-two T20I batter, Suryakumar Yadav, succeeded Rohit Sharma as the new T20I captain. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is set to appear in the ODI series against Sri Lanka, whereas Virat Kohli will also be making a comeback in the fifty-over format. According to many sources, Hardik Pandya was overlooked for leadership because of issues with his fitness.

For the Sri Lanka T20I series, all-rounder Shivam Dube, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, and star batters Rinku Singh and Riyan Parag have all kept their places in the team. However, after impressive showings against Zimbabwe, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhishek Sharma got left off the T20I squad. The bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel returned to the T20Is, and Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, and Khaleel Ahmed retained their places from their visit to Zimbabwe.

On the contrary, there was a notable omission of Kuldeep Yadav, who was recently part of the winning side of the T20 World Cup 2024. The two spinners selected for the T20I and ODI squads are Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Ravi Bishnoi was selected for the shortest format, and Kuldeep Yadav was chosen as the wrist spinner for the ODIs.

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Has something happened that we don't know about?: Aakash Chopra

In the same vein, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise over Kuldeep Yadav's snub in India's squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka. The well-known cricket commentator questioned selectors for not playing him in the shortest format of the game. In addition, the former India batter was seen completely baffled over Kuldeep's non-selection despite his magnificent performance in the World Cup in Barbados.

"Kuldeep Yadav's name is not there in T20 cricket. It's very surprising because the guy has come just now after winning the World Cup but his name is not there in T20 cricket. Has something happened that we don't know about? He is going with the ODI setup. I have got no idea why he isn't playing T20Is," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.