"It seemed like he could be in the World Cup team" - Aakash Chopra questions Umran Malik's absence from all recent Indian squads

Aakash Chopra has questioned Umran Malik's omission from all recent Indian squads, including the India A sides.

Umran is not part of the 16-member Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. He wasn't picked for the recently concluded multi-format tour of South Africa, not even the India A side or the ones chosen for the intra-squad practice games.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on some of the recent baffling Indian selections. As for Umran, he said:

"Till some time back, Umran Malik was everywhere. We took him to the West Indies as well and it seemed like he could be in the World Cup team too but now he is not there in any of the teams. He doesn't even get selected for India A."

The former India opener questioned why the Jammu and Kashmir speedster has suddenly disappeared. He elaborated:

"What happened within three months that a guy first gets selected for the Indian team, gets very minimum chances there, and then goes totally missing? We don't even know where Umran Malik is. Why isn't he there? We should know why this is happening."

Umran registered impressive figures of 2/9 in 2.1 overs in his last T20I against New Zealand in February last year. However, he had an indifferent run in IPL 2023 and proved expensive in the two ODIs he played on the West Indies tour, and hasn't been picked thereafter.

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"He scored a fifty in the last match against Australia" - Aakash Chopra questions Shreyas Iyer's non-selection for Afghanistan T20Is

Shreyas Iyer scored a 37-ball 53 in the final T20I against Australia. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra was perplexed by Shreyas Iyer's non-selection for the T20I series against Afghanistan despite a match-winning contribution in the final T20I he played. He observed (5:00):

"When I look at the recent selection, I see Shreyas Iyer. There was a five-match series immediately after the World Cup, so he was rested for the first two or three matches but then he joined the team as a vice-captain. He scored a fifty in the last match against Australia as well. It was a match-winning knock."

The cricketer-turned-commentator asked how the selectors would be able to justify the middle-order batter's exclusion. He stated:

"Then he went to South Africa as well but now he is not in the team. Why is he not there? If he was a part of your team, what happened to him now, suddenly? What will you tell Shreyas Iyer, that why hasn't he been picked?"

Chopra also noted that the Men in Blue are yet to finalize their premier spinners. He reasoned that the selectors are flip-flopping between Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. He added they are also yet to figure out their first-choice wrist-spinner between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi.