Yuzvendra Chahal lifted on shoulders, taken for a spin by wrestler Sangeeta Phogat; video viral

Veteran India off-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was seen in good spirits just days after being snubbed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the annual retainership after a video from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa wrap-up party went viral on social media. Chahal was seen being lifted by wrestler Sangeeta Phogat, who was a contestant in season 11 of the dance reality show, and then taken for a spin before the cricketer requested him to stop. Chahal's wife Dhanashree Verma was among the five finalists in the show.

In the video shared across various social media handles on Sunday, Chahal found himself in an unexpected situation when Phogat, who was eliminated a few days back from the show, lifted and twirled him as on-lookers burst into laughter, watching the light-hearted moment.

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Chahal faces BCCI contract snub

The leg-spinner was among the seven cricketers who lost their contract with BCCI for the 2023/24 season. Chahal was previously part of Grade C in the Annual Player Contracts for Team India (Senior Men) for the 2022/23 season, earning INR 1 crore.

Surprised at the move by the selectors, former India opener Aakash Chopra infered that the it meant Ajit Agarkar and his committee are looking at other spin options.

"I am a bit surprised that Yuzi Chahal's name is not there. Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Shikhar Dhawan - their names not being there, I can understand. Even Deepak Hooda for that matter. But Chahal's name not being there - what does that signify? It seems to indicate that they (BCCI) are looking in a different direction. This is a validation of the theory. He might have had a ray of hope, but it wasn't to be. His name is not there," said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

However, all hope is not lost for the senior cricketer. Chahal will next appear in IPL 2024 season for Rajasthan Royals. A stellar performance could still see him making it through to the T20 World Cup squad for the second time in a row.

Chahal was previously snubbed from the 2021 T20 World Cup team before making the squad for the ICC event in 2022. However, he did not feature in a single game for India in that tournament in Australia.