“It’s not about how you perform”- Yuzvendra Chahal on the ouster of KulCha pair

Yuzvendra Chahal has finally revealed the reason behind the ouster of the 'KulCha' pair from Team India’s white-ball teams after the 2019 World Cup. The Men in Blue crashed out of the competition, losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals.

He felt that the performance had nothing to do with their exit from the playing XI. Instead, the team management wanted to change the combination (likely to bolster their batting).

Speaking to Aaj Tak, the leg spinner said:

“I think it’s a team combination. It’s not about how you perform. Sometimes teams have to change their combination. It started from there.”

It’s worth mentioning that they were a force to reckon with for a brief stint in white-ball cricket, but they faded since India’s semi-final exit at the 2019 World Cup.

Chahal and Kuldeep were part of India's squad for New Zealand in the recently concluded white-ball series. While Chahal played after being ignored for the entire T20 World Cup, Kuldeep was overlooked despite being the Player of the Match (4/18 against South Africa) in his last match for the Men in Blue.

Kuldeep, however, was added to Team India's squad against Bangladesh for the third ODI after captain Rohit Sharma sustained a finger injury in the second game.

Meanwhile, Chahal has been rested for India's tour of Bangladesh. He picked up two wickets in as many matches in the recently concluded T20I series against the Blackcaps. He is expected to return for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia.

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“Like AB De Villiers, whenever he bats, he looks confident” – Yuzvendra Chahal on Suryakumar Yadav

Chahal also praised World No.1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, who dominated the format in 2022. The leg spinner compared him to Proteas legend AB De Villiers and revealed it was a stiff challenge to bowl at him.

On this, he said:

“Like AB De Villiers, whenever he bats, he looks confident. I am a big fan of his intent. As a bowler, I have to think a lot while bowling at him, especially checking the field placement.”

For the uninitiated, Suryakumar amassed 1164 runs in 31 T20Is at a staggering strike rate of 187.44 this year, which included a couple of centuries and nine fifties.