Harsha Bhogle and Aakash Chopra have expressed their shock and disappointment after KL Rahul was not picked for the New Zealand Test series. BCCI announced the Test squad on February 4 to play two Tests this month.

The squad has sprung up a few surprises and the biggest one is the exclusion of the in-form KL Rahul. The Karnataka lad has hit a purple patch in everything he has been doing in the last few months and that had everybody convinced (well, everybody except the selectors) that he deserved a place in the Test squad.

NZ v IND 2020: KL Rahul attains career-best second position in latest ICC T20I batting rankings

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra posed the question to selectors. He wrote, “KL Rahul not making it to the Test squad is surprising. He’s got three Test tons outside Asia. Talent-technique-temperament was never a question—it was only about current form. And he’s in RED HOT form now. Why not put him at the top again? #NZvInd”

KL Rahul not making it to the Test squad is surprising. He’s got three Test tons outside Asia. Talent-technique-temperament was never a question—it was only about current form. And he’s in RED HOT form now. Why not put him at the top again? #NZvInd

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 4, 2020

While Harsha Bhogle, the senior commentator, quickly went on to assume that the Indian selectors wanted Rahul to perform with the red ball, in domestic cricket, before making his comeback to Test cricket.

He wrote, “I thought the absence of Rohit and the form of KL Rahul would lead to a comeback for him. But clearly the selectors want him to do more in red ball cricket and have gone with those at the top of the queue.”

I thought the absence of Rohit and the form of KL Rahul would lead to a comeback for him. But clearly the selectors want him to do more in red ball cricket and have gone with those at the top of the queue.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 4, 2020

The Test series will begin on February 20 at Wellington.