Yuzvendra Chahal recently posted a cryptic message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after being excluded from the Indian squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia starting on November 23 (Wednesday). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav, with Chahal being the notable absentee from the squad.

Yuzvendra Chahal’s last appearance in T20Is for India was during the West Indies tour in August. Following his exclusion from the T20I squad for the Australia series, the veteran spinner shared a cryptic message on social media, consisting of just a single smiley emoticon.

😊

— Yuzvendra Chahal (@yuzi_chahal) November 20, 2023

Yuzvendra Chahal Has Not Played An ODI Since January 2023

Chahal was excluded from the World Cup and hasn’t participated in an ODI since January 2023. Despite being part of the squad during the West Indies tour, he didn’t feature in any matches as the selectors and team management favoured Kuldeep Yadav as the wrist-spinner. In the lead-up to the World Cup 2023, Chahal was also not considered for the three-match ODI series, even when players like Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel were rested for the initial two matches. 

During his time away from the national team, Chahal participated in red-ball cricket for Kent in the County Championship in September and played for Haryana in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20, where he took 11 wickets in 7 matches.

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Injury rules out Hardik Pandya from the upcoming T20I series, who has been leading the side since the beginning of the year. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of India’s gold-winning team at the Asian Games, has been named vice-captain for the first three T20Is, while Shreyas Iyer will join the squad as Suryakumar’s deputy for the remaining two matches.

Most of the players from the World Cup squad, except for Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, and Suryakumar, have been rested for the T20I series. The other notable exclusions from the squad is that of Sanju Samson.

Australia, having secured their sixth World Cup title by defeating India in the recently concluded World Cup 2023 final, will be under the leadership of Matthew Wade. The squad includes the likes of Tanveer Sangha, Nathan Ellis, and Spencer Johnson.