IND vs IRE: Why something might not be fine between Rohit Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal?

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IND vs IRE: Is everything fine between India captain Rohit Sharma and Yuzvendra Chahal? While the question might come as surprising for many, there already have been a few instances in the USA which hints at something.

The star leg-spinner was left out of India playing eleven for their first match of the T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, June 5. Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and even Kuldeep Yadav were left out, and that definitely does not hint at a strained relationship between Rohit and Chahal.

However, Rohit Sharma forgetting just Chahal's name while naming the four players sitting out for the match could be pondered up. When asked about the team combination by Ravi Shastri at toss, Rohit straightaway named Samson, Kuldeep and Jaiswal, but could not recall the fourth name.

"Guys missing out are Kuldeep, Sanju, Jaiswal and one more," Rohit Sharma said. Forgetting the name of one of the four players sitting out in a 15-member T20 World Cup squad is usual. Had it been in the IPL where the squads are big and Impact Player rules create a lot of confusion while naming the eleven, Rohit's "one more" prefix would have been acceptable.

But in those scenarios too, not remembering a name as big as Chahal's isn't common. Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain missed Tanush Kotian's name in the IPL 2024, and there is surely a huge difference between the stature of two players.

Also, Chahal and Rohit were known to share a very close bond in the past. Yuzvendra Chahal has publicly shown his affection for Rohit Sharma on numerous occasions.

Chahal only bowler who did not bowl in warm-up match against Bangladesh

Also, Yuzvendra Chahal was the only bowler who did not bowl in India's only warm-up match against Bangladesh on June 1. Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav rolled their arms for a couple of overs at least.

But Chahal was not given the opportunity despite India cruising to a comfortable 60-run win in the match. Interestingly, no one talked about it. Last year, Chahal wasn't picked in Rohit Sharma-led India squad for the Asia Cup and World Cup. Chahal also lost his central contract under Rohit's captaincy earlier this year.

Regardless, these are just speculations and nothing more. Chahal has been actively participating in the team's training sessions, and looked excited on the match day. "Jai Mata Di," he captioned his picture from the team bus ahead of the match.