Former skipper Virat Kohli and a fit-again KL Rahul on Monday returned to a 15-member Indian squad for the Asia Cup while senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah missed out owing to a back injury. The Asia Cup will be held in Dubai and Sharjah from August 27 to September 11. Rahul, who did not feature in the T20 series against the West Indies due to COVID-19, has recuperated from his sports hernia surgery, and is back as vice-captain.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022-Huge Blow to India As Jasprit Bumrah Ruled Out With Back Injury
The notable names dropped from the main squad are batter Shreyas Iyer and left-arm spinner Axar Patel. Seamer Deepak Chahar, who has had a four-month lay-off due to a hamstring tear and a back injury was also among the reserves.
Meanwhile speaking on Star Sports, former India selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth made his views very clear regarding the likes of Axar Patel. The Ahmedabad spinner was considered to be a like-for-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja and could have acted as a back-up to the Saurashtra all-rounder in case of an injury. Now, he is nowhere near in the playing eleven, not even making it to the 15-man squad.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022 India Squad-KL Rahul, Virat Kohli Return; Axar Patel Misses Out
“I think the squad is pretty good but I think we would need one more medium pacer. We are going with one medium pacer short. Two wrist spinners is fine. I feel bad for Axar Patel, who has missed out. I am very happy for Deepak Hooda – he can bowl a bit, he’s a good hitter and he’s a good striker of the ball. What I like about Deepak Hooda is that he’s a good striker of the ball, he’s a flirter.
“Otherwise, this squad is a fantastic squad, only feel bad for Axar Patel. I still believe that he’s a good bowling all-rounder, maybe in Australia conditions. I am not going for just the Asia Cup, but yes, this must be a blueprint for the ICC T20 World Cup also.”
Furthermore, he also spoke about Mohammed Shami and said that he would have been in his squad had he been the selector.
“In my team, Shami was literally there. If I was the Chairman of the selection committee, I think Shami would have been there and probably, I would not have gone with Ravi Bishnoi. But I still believe that Axar Patel was a serious contender in my team. It would have been a big toss-up between Axar Patel and Ashwin.”
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