BCCI's former president defended the omission of Chahal for the Asia Cup 2023 and declared KL Rahul fit
Former President of BCCI Sourav Ganguly knows a few things about leading India to summit clashes of ICC events because it was under his leadership that a young side upstaged the likes of Australia and South Africa to enter the final of the ICC KnockOut Trophy in 2000. Three years later, Ganguly guided India to the final of the ICC World Cup.
With India hosting the ICC World Cup for the first time since lifting the famous trophy in 2011, Ganguly believes that the onus is on the premier batters to finally bring the title back home. At an event organized by Cycle Pure, Agarbathi Ganguly said, "You cannot win World Cups all the time; there will be bad times and gaps.
He further added that "they will have to bat very well; if they bat well, they will win. The World Cup is different, the Asia Cup is different, and the Australia home series is different. Every tournament depends on how they play at that particular moment. India are a strong side, but they have to play well during the World Cup."
Talking about the announcement of India's squad for the Asia Cup, Ganguly observed that a rejected Yuzvendra Chahal can still make a return to the Indian side for the World Cup. However, Ganguly was satisfied with the selectors preference for Axar Patel over Chahal for the continental tournament. "They have picked Axar Patel ahead of Chahal because of his batting. So I think it's a good selection. Chahal can still come back if someone gets injured. This is a 17-member squad; two, in any case, will have to move out," Ganguly said. He also supported the selection of KL Rahul into the team, as Sourav Ganguly said, "He's fit, not injured anymore."