'Personally Slightly Surprised': Chopra Reacts To Kuldeep Yadav's Absence For Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Kuldeep Yadav with Rohit Sharma [Source: @Cric_beat/X.com]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced India's squad for the highly anticipated Test series against Australia. This announcement came with significant changes to the current team setup, and one of the most surprising exclusions was that of Kuldeep Yadav. The talented left-arm wrist spinner, who was dropped from the ongoing second Test against New Zealand, was not included due to an injury.

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his surprise at Kuldeep's absence from the squad. He noted that while Abhimanyu Easwaran, a 29-year-old batsman, has been a part of the team for a while, he has struggled to secure a spot in the playing XI. With captain Rohit Sharma uncertain for the opening Test in Perth, Easwaran might get a chance to step in.

Chopra mentioned that the batting lineup is expected, considering Easwaran's inclusion offers a backup option if Rohit cannot play.

"It's along the expected lines if you talk about batting. It has Abhimanyu Easwaran, which means you will have the option of an opener if Rohit (Sharma) misses a match. You probably had the chance of taking only three spinners, although you could have also taken 19 instead of 18," he said.

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He further said that Washington Sundar is now the third spinner in the squad, replacing Kuldeep. Chopra pointed out that Kuldeep is available for future matches but won’t be part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, leading him to feel "slightly surprised" by this decision.

"The third spinner in that now is Washington Sundar and not Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep Yadav is not there to heal a chronic injury. He is available for the next match but is not going for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. I am personally slightly surprised. You could have probably resolved the injury later," the former India opener added.

Mohammed Shami Misses Out Of India's Squad

In addition to Kuldeep, Shami's absence was also noteworthy. The BCCI did not provide specific information about Shami's fitness. However, there’s a possibility he could be added to the squad if he proves his match fitness while playing for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.

India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.

Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed

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