The Indian cricket team on Monday announced their squad for the upcoming Asia Cup. A massive roar of anticipation is building around this tournament as it is the stepping stone for India and other Asian teams ahead of the T20 World Cup.
It is believed that the players partaking in the Asia cup will also be probable for the world cup. Hence when the squad came out, a lot of people were disappointed.
Let’s discuss the key points from the squad announced by the Indian team.
Jasprit Bumrah’s absence
The first thing that catches everyone’s eye is the absence of Bumrah. He has been in phenomenal form in recent times. In the limited over series against England, he caused carnage with the ball in hand. And everyone anticipated him to be one of the first picks.
However, it has been relayed that Bumrah has suffered a back injury and will be unable to partake in the Asia Cup. Rather, he will be present in the NCA recovering from his injury.
Indian fans will be hopeful of his return before the marquee World Cup.
Exclusion of Mohammad Shami
Another pace bowler whose absence has called fans to worry is Shami. He, too, has been a premier bowler for India across all formats. His ability to swing the ball up front and nail those right Yorkers can never be overstated.
Although he has not played a single T20I for India since the last world cup, he had a great outing in IPL. Shami picked up 20 wickets for Gujarat Titans in their maiden campaign.
Return of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul
The most anticipated moment for several Indian fans is the return of their favourite stars. Firstly and foremost, the return of KL Rahul to the Indian squad after almost 6 months is one of the biggest talking points. Rahul last featured in the series against South Africa on their protean turf. He picked up an injury there that saw him out of action for a while.
KL Rahul then featured in the IPL, taking his new team Lucknow Super Giants to the playoffs. After the tournament’s conclusion, he had to undergo surgery for a sports hernia which saw him out of the England tour. And lastly, he tested positive right before the west indies tour. As a result, we saw Suryakumar Yadav opening with Rohit Sharma.
Therefore, his inclusion in the squad will give India much-needed stability at the top of the inning.
Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has always been a keen requirement in the middle order. His experience and explosive nature to the team can never be overlooked. Although he has been suffering from a low point in his career, he still has all the requisite tools in his arsenal to pull India out of a tricky situation if need be.
India starts off their campaign in the Asia Cup against Pakistan on the 28th of August.
Indian Squad for Asia Cup 2022:
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(Wk), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
