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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 16-man squad for the three-match series assignment against Afghanistan on Sunday, January 7. Men in Blue picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, comprising SS Das and Salil Ankola, will host Afghanistan from January 11. While the squad saw the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli to the shortest format after more than a year, the selection panel dropped some bombs by omitting a few names.
Deepak Chahar was one of the names sidelined for the India-Afghanistan assignment. The bowler withdrew before the South Africa series due to a family emergency. Deepak’s father had suffered a stroke, and he wanted to be by his side at the crucial hour. The 31-year-old recently posted an update about his father’s health, mentioning that he is out of danger and has been recovering well.
Not only this, but the cricketer has also been enjoying some time with the family, which indicates that he had made himself available before the selection panel. Chahar was a part of India’s 5-match T20I series squad against Australia, where he scalped two wickets in the game he played. The unexpected omission of a player who performed decently in his last assignment raises the question if choosing family over a series could cost him a spot in India's T20I squad.
There has been no clarity as to why the selection committee decided to sideline Chahar for the series, which will also be their last T20I assignment before the ICC T20 World Cup, set to be played in June 2024. Former India opener Aakash Chopra also questioned the decision, and on his YouTube channel said, “Deepak Chahar was also picked for the South Africa T20Is but he didn't go because his father was not well. His father's health is better now. I am sure he must be available."
He added, "I haven't given him a call, I should maybe. But why isn't he in the team? I can understand (Mohammed) Siraj and (Jasprit) Bumrah not being there, but I am slightly surprised that he is not there. In my opinion, if Deepak Chahar was available, his name should have been there."
While dropping Chahar for the upcoming series comes as a disappointment, it surely doesn’t come as a surprise. Chahar is not the only player who has been dropped without any valid reason. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been out of favour from the selectors in the Indian T20I setup, isn't being picked in the final series before the T20 World Cup 2024, dashing his hopes of making an appearance in the biennial tournament.