India’s recently announced Asia Cup squad included a few unexpected selections, notably Tilak Varma earning his first-ever 50-over format call-up. However, the omission of Yuzvendra Chahal, an experienced leg-spinner, has garnered significant attention. Chahal’s absence is particularly notable given the absence of a leg-spinner in the chosen 18-man roster. Amid discussions surrounding this exclusion, AB de Villiers, Chahal’s former teammate from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), revealed feeling ‘disappointed’ to witness the spinner’s name absent from the Indian squad.

Yuzvendra Chahal has been a consistent presence in India’s white-ball teams for several years. However, despite his contribution, he has not yet featured in any ICC event for the national team. Considering his exclusion from the Asia Cup 2023 squad, it implies that Chahal’s prospects for selection in India’s ODI World Cup squad might be slim.

“Chahal has been dropped, selectors making their intentions clear who they will be picking. It’s a bit of a disappointing drop for me, Yuzi is always very handy and it’s great to have the leg-spinning option in your team. We know how skilful he is,” De Villiers shared in a video on his YouTube channel.

In terms of spinners, the Indian team opted for Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav for the Asia Cup. This strategic decision seemingly aims to bolster the team’s batting lineup by extending their depth.