I Wish I Had A Paid PR: Varun

Kolkata Knight Riders' ace spinner Varun Chakravarthy made his frustration clear on social media after he was left out of the new-look Indian team for the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe next month.

Chakravarthy was the second highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024 with 21 wickets in 15 games as he played a major role in KKR's title triumph but the selection committee still didn't seem that impressed.

'I wish I had a paid PR,' said Chakravarthy on Instagram in a clear dig at the selectors. He followed it up with another cryptic post which said: 'God, grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change.'

The Indian team for the Zimbabwe tour next month is missing all the regulars with Shubman Gill named as the captain. Youngsters Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy and Riyan Parag earned their maiden-up call to the Indian team after their impressive performances in IPL 2024 earlier this year but Chakravarthy missed the cut.

The 32-year-old Tamil Nadu spinner last played for India in November 2021 after playing six T20Is in which he picked up two wickets.

His exclusion is even surprising considering that the two specialist spinners picked in the 15-member Indian squad didn't do well in IPL 2024. Ravi Bishnoi took 10 wickets in 14 games, while Washington Sundar could not even break into the Sunrisers Hyderabad team and featured in just two games.

Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the only two players from India's T20 World Cup squad to be picked for the tour of Zimbabwe, to be played from July 6 to 14.

Interestingly, veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also got the snub despite being picked for the T20 World Cup where he is unlikely to feature in any game.

Another surprise exclusion was Chakravarthy's team-mate and KKR pacer Harshit Rana, who impressed everyone with his control and variations as he bagged 19 wickets in IPL 2024.

SRH pacer Thangarasu Natarajan, who was the fourth wicket-taker in the IPL with 19 wickets, will also feel hard done by after not getting picked.

Gujarat Titans' young batting star Sai Sudharsan will also feel aggrieved after not getting picked despite scoring 527 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 141, with a century and two fifties to finish as the sixth highest run-getter of IPL 2024.

Rajat Patidar, who played a crucial role in RCB's incredible turnaround with 395 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 177, also failed to get the nod.

India's squad for Zimbabwe T20s: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.

Schedule: India's tour of Zimbabwe:
1st T20: July 6, Harare, 4.30 pm IST
2nd T20: July 7, Harare, 4.30 pm IST
3rd T20: July 10, Harare, 4.30 pm IST
4th T20: July 13, Harare, 4.30 pm IST
5th T20: July 14, Harare, 4.30 pm IST

• T20 World Cup