“I am a bit surprised that Yuzi Chahal’s name is not there” - Aakash Chopra on seasoned leggie not being offered a central contract

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise at experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal not being offered a central contract by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Chopra believes that the snub is an indication that the selectors and team management are looking beyond him.

The BCCI, on Wednesday, February 28, announced the central contracts for the 2023-24 season. Chahal was one of the prominent names who were not on the list - the others being Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Umesh Yadav.

Chopra reckons that of the big names missing from the new contracts list, Chahal’s absence is surprising.

“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.

33-year-old Chahal was a permanent member of the Indian limited-overs squad for a few years in the period between 2016 and 2019. Lately, he has been in and out of the team constantly. Chahal has the experience of 72 ODIs and 80 T20Is, in which he has claimed 121 and 96 scalps, respectively.

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“Deepak Chahar was almost there I think” - Chopra

According to Chopra, bowling all-rounder Deepak Chahar stood a chance of securing a central contract had he not missed out on matches due to his father’s illness. The medium pacer 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,” Chopra commented.

Injury-prone Chahar has played 13 ODIs and 25 T20Is, claiming 16 and 31 wickets, respectively. He last played for Team India in a T20I against Australia in Raipur in December 2023.