IPL 2021 | Can’t understand why Yuzvendra Chahal was omitted from the T20 World Cup squad, asks Virender Sehwag

Chahal, who has been a premier spinner since July 2017, was omitted from the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman. The selection panel of the BCCI said that the reason for Chahal’s exclusion was because they were looking for leg-spinners who can bowl quick. Rahul Chahar possesses that kind of quality which is why he was preferred over Chahal. The 31-year-old has looked an improved bowler since the start of second leg of the IPL 2021 as compared to the first half back in India when he took only four wickets in seven games. 

Former India opener Virender Sehwag, during a discussion with Cricbuzz after RCB’s victory on Sunday, said that Chahal has been an asset for a T20 side and the selectors must give reason for his non-selection.

“Chahal was bowling well in the past also. I can’t understand why he was omitted from the T20 World Cup squad. The selectors should provide the explanation. It's not like Rahul Chahar bowled extraordinarily in Sri Lanka. The way Chahal is bowling, he will be an asset for any side in T20 cricket,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz, reported Hindustan Times.

“He knows how to bowl in his format, how to take wickets. The game was set up by (Glenn) Maxwell and (Yuzvendra) Chahal. They took wickets in the middle orders which led to a turnaround,” he added.

In the ongoing IPL 2021, Chahal has picked 9 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 27.77.