Unmukt Chand creates a massive rift in USA cricket right after T20 World Cup; tears apart the selectors
Published - 09 Jul 2024, 10:54 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:15 AM
Former India under-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand opened up about missing a spot in the United States of America squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. Unmukt Chand expressed his shock and disappointment with his exclusion, saying it took time for him to come to terms with the situation.
Unmukt Chand retired from Indian cricket in 2021 and relocated to the USA to continue playing international cricket. The 31-year-old delivered consistent performances in T20 leagues and Minor League Cricket (MiLC). However, he was not selected for the T20 World Cup 2024, co-hosted by the USA in June.
Chand started his career by leading India to victory in the 2012 U19 World Cup. However, the right-handed batter couldn't break into the senior national team despite his potential. He moved to the USA and became eligible to play for their national team just before the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
Wasn't An Ideal Situation - Unmukt Chand
Speaking to reporters after the match between Angeles Knight Riders and Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024, Unmukt Chand said that he had been working to play in the T20 World Cup for the last three years after leaving India. Chand admitted that he struggled to be at his best for some time.
"That wasn't an ideal situation to be in," Chand told reporters on Saturday.
"Because personally for me, this was what I had dreamed for the last three years. Obviously, it was a big shock. And it took me time to sort of come to terms with it. It's never easy as a player, having lost all those things back home in India, to having this one goal, which had kept me going for the last three years not happening. So it is difficult. I won't say which just happened. But it was difficult. I was not my best self for some time," he added.
Unmukt Chand began the MLC 2024 season with a match-winning fifty for the Los Angeles Knight Riders against the Texas Super Kings. He scored 68 runs off 45 balls as LAKR secured a 12-run victory. However, Chand was dismissed for a five-ball duck in their second game against the San Francisco Unicorns.
Was A Very Internal Battle - Unmukt Chand
Unmukt Chand reflected on his struggles and how it took time to overcome these challenges. He mentioned that he eventually reached a point where he could finally move on from those feelings and not let them affect him.
"That was a very internal battle and it's a sucker. It keeps sucking you inside and inside. That feeling would linger on for a day and then go away and then come back again. The reality would hit me in different phases. Once you keep going through that automatically you keep getting better. There comes a time when you're like it didn't happen, that's it. I'm not even thinking about it," Chand further stated.
Chand has moved forward from his shattered T20 World Cup dream. The 31-year-old trained under his childhood coach in Maharashtra during the tournament. He will next be seen in action for the Los Angeles Knight Riders against the San Francisco Unicorns on Tuesday (India time).
