I became the scapegoat of petty politics, says Unmukt Chand on his ouster from Delhi team

Delhi cricketer Unmukt Chand was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket when he lifted the U19 Cricket World Cup in 2012. His ton in the title clash against Australia was of high class and his temperament was so good that there were calls of rushing him into the senior team right away. However, over the years he faded away following some poor performances in the domestic arena and subsequently was dropped from Delhi team. Chand is now blaming the petty politics in the team for his ouster.

This year in the IPL auction Chand went unsold as no team was interested in bidding for him. He was with Mumbai Indians last year but didn’t get to play. He was dropped from the T20 squad of Delhi for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy which was a huge setback for his career and IPL prospects.

Biggest disappointment

Unmukt Chand recently played in the Deodhar Trophy for India A which took place in Dharamsala. He played only a solitary game scoring 81 runs and looked in good touch.

“Getting dropped from Delhi was the biggest disappointment of my life. I became the scapegoat of petty politics in the team. I was playing a T20 zonal match in Mumbai two years back when I heard the news of getting axed from the one-day side. I was leading India A in a couple of months before that and was the highest scorer there. I had been the top run-getter for Delhi the previous season, and I was dropped. That was shocking,” he said while speaking to Times of India.

The 24-year-old also added that getting dropped from the team just before the auction didn’t help his cause which hurt his IPL prospects significantly.

“I was retained by MI last year but because I didn’t get to play matches in the previous year, I decided to get released from the squad to find a team where I could play, and not sit out, even at base price. Playing is more important than money. It was a hard decision and a big risk too, but I opted out. Unfortunately, I was dropped from the Delhi side four days before the auction, and I’m sure it didn’t send the right signal to the franchisees. I wasn’t picked,” Chand said.

On playing for other state

While losing his place from the sie was the biggest fear of his life, Unmukt Chand also thought of plying his trade for the other states. However, he is set to make his come back to the team with some stellar performances. “Yes, I have thought about it. I have been forced to think about it. However, things are still not concrete. I had lived my biggest fear of getting dropped from the Delhi Ranji team, and thus overcame the fear by only realising the next day that it was a mental barrier and nothing else. I went beyond the fear. It liberated me,” the youngster concluded.

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