Team India’s hopes of lifting the T20 World Cup title after 15 years were shattered after losing to England in a one-sided semi-final at the Adelaide Oval on November 10.
Since that day, the Men in Blue have been subjected to severe criticism from the fans and the cricket experts for the decisions made by the team management and captain Rohit Sharma. India’s second-leading wicket-taker in T20Is, Yuzvendra Chahal and death over specialist Harshal Patel were not given a single game over the course of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
After more than a week, wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has cleared the air on why Chahal and Harshal were not selected in India’s playing XI for any game.
During his conversation with Cricbuzz, Karthik revealed that both Chahal and Harshal were told at the start of the tournament that they would make it into the XI only if conditions favoured their presence or else they might have to sit out for the entire competition.
“They didn’t sulk or get upset once because they were very sure. At the start of the tournament, they were told that under these conditions, we would be playing you; otherwise, it might be difficult. So, they were very aware and were preparing in such a way that when they get an opportunity, they would try and do their best, but there might be a chance that they ended up not playing.
“So, when that clarity is there from the coach and captain, it makes the job easier for the player because you just start looking inward and thinking, okay what do I do to start preparing better. That is what they were doing, and had they been given a chance, they would have given their best. This is a very high-intensity tournament.
“As mentioned, he [Chahal] played a lot of matches for India and he knows the feeling of being dropped,” Karthik added.
Chahal and Harshal are currently part of the six limited-overs games against New Zealand. The first T20I got abandoned due to rain in Wellington on Friday (November 18). India are slated to play two more T20Is, followed by three ODIs on their tour of New Zealand.
