Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has revealed his conversation with former Indian captain Rohit Sharma about his exclusion from the ODI World Cup 2023 squad at home, which India lost to Australia in the final.
Speaking to former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra in an exclusive interaction, Chahal disclosed that Rohit had informed him that the team was looking to enhance its batting depth and wanted an extra pacer.
“In 2023, when I went to play County, Rohit had told me that we want batters till number eight, so we were going with that. He told me clearly that they were also looking for an extra fast bowler for the World Cup. So it was made clear to me. After the World Cup, I just stopped thinking about selection,” Chahal said.
“In the IPL 2024, I just came to enjoy and did not put extra pressure on myself. That season, I did well, and Rohit told me he wanted me and we would see in the selection meeting,” he added.
Notably, Chahal was also excluded from the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 squad, but was later included in the next year’s T20 World Cup in 2022. Speaking on the same, he asserted that he was disappointed not to be a part of the mega event in 2021.
“I felt worse in 2021 because I was not there at all. In 2022, at least I was in the team. Sometimes you also know the combination may not work. So I did not think a lot. But you always feel that you should have at least played one World Cup game. Rohit had told me that I would play only if a particular combination worked. So at least I had the clarity,” he concluded.
In October 2026, Chahal retired from red-ball cricket, but he has not retired from international or white-ball cricket.
