Boon Or Bane? 3 Players Who Deserved A Place In India Squad For Asia Cup

Jason Holder consodilating Chahal after India's loss in West Indies (AP Photos)

The 17-member India squad, confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, for the upcoming Asia Cup was largely anticipated. While the eagerly anticipated comebacks of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have been confirmed, many people have applauded the inclusion of talented prospect Tilak Varma straight into the 50-over setup.

However, a few calls sparked a lot of debate, and here, we will only discuss those and do an analytical dive into them. 

India squad for Asia Cup 2023

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna

Reserve player: Sanju Samson

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Whom on the above list do you find yourself least pleased to see? Does it align with our data-driven analysis? Let us look at it.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal has been axed from India's squad for Asia Cup 2023 (Twitter)

You would dearly want Yuzvendra Chahal in India's squad, if not the starting XI, given the significant contributions he has made over the years. The 33-year-old is a leg-spinner who is never concerned with leaking runs in favor of taking wickets. His ODI records are also quite impressive in Asia, where he has picked up 46 wickets over 28 innings at an average of 29.

The question is, who could have been given up for Chahal? It’s Axar Patel, of course. Given Kuldeep Yadav’s reemergence in ODIs over the past couple of years, Chahal’s place can only be considered for Axar.

Let us engage in this discussion honestly. Axar is primarily chosen as a spinner despite the fact that he can bat. Unless the Indians play in a spin-friendly heaven, he will not be paired with Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja and Axar both offer a one-dimensional attack anyway, so will it be a good idea to combine them only for the sake of having an extra batting option? In a worst-case scenario, even if Jadeja gets injured, India could automatically bring a replacement in the form of Axar, right?

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravi Ashwin was axed from India's squad for Asia Cup (Twitter)

You are leaving the scientist at home while you are going to a major event. Is it fair? Won’t Ashwin's addition automatically fix India's issue with a multi-dimensional attack and a deep batting lineup? His ODI numbers in Asia are anyway better than Axar, who should have been dropped.

Yes, Ashwin is no longer a regular in ODIs, as we can all agree. After five years away, he returned to the format last year, although he could only feature twice in the Playing XI. Will he not develop into a surprise bowling option for the opposition if given the chance?

Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson batted valiantly in India's 2nd T20I in Ireland (Twitter)

This call has divided the entire nation of India. Samson has a place as a backup in the squad, while Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have made the cut. On what basis, exactly? In case you did not know, Samson has a 390 run total over 12 innings and a 55.71 ODI average.

You’re taking a not-fully-fit KL Rahul into the Asia Cup, and keeping Kishan as a backup if things go south. There is little chance for Kishan to bat at the top with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill already present. So what positions are open? Nos. 4 and 5. Kishan has not yet batted at No. 5, and even if he comes ahead of Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, his numbers are not very promising.

Suryakumar Yadav is another player who could have been ignored. SKY’s ODI average reads 24.33, courtesy of aggregating 511 runs across 24 matches. If Shreyas fails, does Samson not merit a chance before the 'X-factor' SKY?

The questions will have their answers once India begin their Asia Cup journey on September 2, against arch-rivals Pakistan in Pallekele.

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