The Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2023 was announced on Monday. While the squad has many core players including Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma came as a wildcard entry after a successful IND vs WI T20I series.
However, there are also some notable omissions from the squad, who might feel unlucky to miss out on the opportunity to represent their country in the continental tournament.
Let’s take a look at five players who missed out on Asia Cup 2023 squad.
1. Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal has been one of the most successful spinners for India in limited-overs cricket. He has taken 121 wickets in 72 ODIs at an average of 27.01. He has also formed a lethal partnership with Kuldeep Yadav, known as “KulCha”, which has troubled many batsmen around the world.
However, Chahal has been dropped from the Asia Cup 2023 squad, as the selectors wanted to pick an extra pacer.
“We thought about off-spinner Ashwin and Washy ( Washington Sundar) but right now you saw Chahal has to miss out and we can’t get him in because we can take only 15 and only way we could have done that is by dropping a seamer,” Rohit Sharma said while addressing the press conference.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most prolific openers for India in ODI cricket. The 37-year-old is known as a big-match player as he has always performed brilliantly in big tournaments. He has also been a consistent performer in ICC tournaments, winning the golden bat award twice in the Champions Trophy (2013 and 2017) and scoring centuries in two World Cups (2015 and 2019).
However, Dhawan has been left out of the Asia Cup 2023 squad, as the selectors have preferred younger talents, such as Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan.
“Shikhar Dhawan has been terrific for India, but currently Rohit Sharma, Gill and Kishan are our three preferred openers,” Agarkar said in a press conference while announcing the Asia Cup 2023 squad.
Dhawan’s recent form has also been inconsistent, as he has scored only 186 runs in his last 10 ODIs. Dhawan’s exclusion might also be a sign of his fading chances of making it to the World Cup in 2023.
3. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson has always been termed one of the most exciting wicketkeeper-batters in India. But he has failed to show his full potential in international cricket, especially in T20Is. However, the Kerala-born batter’s ODI numbers suggest that he should have been picked in Asia Cup 2023 squad.
In 13 matches, Samson has amassed 390 runs at an average of 55.71 and a strike rate of 104.00.
But the 28-year-old has been overlooked for the Asia Cup 2023 squad, as the selectors have gone with KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as wicketkeepers. However, he has been kept as a backup player as KL Rahul is recovering from a niggle. So all is not lost for Samson.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the best spinners in the world in Tests. However, the veteran spinner didn’t get the same trust in limited-overs cricket.
He has taken 151 wickets in 113 ODIs at an average of 33.5 and an economy rate of 4.94. He has also been a handy lower-order batsman, scoring 707 runs at a strike rate of 87.00.
While many cricket pundits and fans demanded his return to the ODI setup, the 36-year-old has been ignored for the Asia Cup 2023.
Ashwin’s last ODI appearance was in January 2022, and since then, he has been out of favor in 50-over cricket.
However Indian skipper didn’t rule out the Chennai-born spinner for the World Cup 2023.
“But the door is open for all. If we need Chahal in World Cup, we will try to squeeze him in. The same goes for Ashwin and Washington,” Rohit said in a press conference while announcing the Asia Cup 2023 squad.
5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the most skillful fast bowlers for India in limited-overs cricket. He has taken 141 wickets in 121 ODIs at an average of 35.11 and an economy rate of 5.08.
However, Kumar has been left out of the Asia Cup 2023 squad, as the selectors have opted for other pace options, such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammad Siraj, and Shardul Thakur. Kumar’s fitness and form might have also influenced his exclusion, as he has been plagued by injuries and has taken only 9 wickets in his last 7 ODIs. The pacer was recently in the headlines after he changed his Instagram bio from ‘Indian cricket’ to Indian.
The change in bio dropped a big hint about Bhuvneshwar’s international future.
India’s squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna.
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