The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 in UAE. Rohit Sharma will obviously lead the team but Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are also making a return to the squad.
Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, however, has been left out because of a back injury that will require rehabilitation. He will be recovering at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru over the next few days along with Harshal Patel, whose injury also prevented him from being included in the squad. The expectation is the Bumrah and Patel will be medically cleared and fit by the time India’s home season commences with white-ball series against South Africa and Australia.
As a result, Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have been included in the side and they will feature prominently alongside veteran bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Deepak Chahar, who has recently recovered from a severe injury, is on the standby list along with Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel.
However, there has been no space in the squad for another experienced campaigner Mohammed Shami who has been out of the India squad since the T20I World Cup last year. Despite putting in consistent performances for Gujarat Titans as they lifted the IPL trophy in their maiden campaign, Shami hasn’t done enough to convince the selectors.
Despite his lengthy absence for India in the shortest format of the game, former Indian selector Kiran More believes that he won’t be surprised if Shami ends up being included in the final squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. When asked about his opinion regarding the matter, More said that Shami’s selection is a ‘must’ in the World Cup squad given that he’s a proper experienced fast bowler.
“The way Hardik made his comeback was impressive. He’s now bowling 140+. A captain wants a player like that — who can score runs, take wickets, and be alert on the field. But I also want to say one thing — this team won’t go into the World Cup until Mohammed Shami comes into the side. These are back-ups who are travelling there, as preparation for the World Cup,” More said on Star Sports’ Follow the Blues.
