India announced its squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 on Monday. Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out due to injury while Avesh Khan was picked in place of Mohammed Shami in the Indian squad for the mega-tournament. Many cricket experts across the country feel that the Indian pace attack looks weak in Bumrah’s absence and Shami should have been picked as he gives much-needed experience. However, former India selector Saba Karim feels the decision was right as the BCCI is trusting the youngster and Avesh has not done anything wrong.
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Speaking exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘Sports Over the Top’, former India selector Saba Karim backed Avesh Khan’s inclusion in the Asia Cup squad. “I think once you have invested in youngsters like Avesh Khan, you cannot possibly leave them to barbecue and such youngsters have done nothing wrong. I can understand that Mohammed Shami is a strong bet in his current form so Jasprit Bumrah is out with an injury but it seems the selectors want that kind of protection and they want to stick with the youngsters whom they have given so much. has shown. Faith.”
Shami has not played a single T20I since the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE. The management of the Indian team is clear from his thought process that Shami is certain in ODIs and Test squads but not in T20Is. He has also done this with Shikhar Dhawan. The southpaw has been playing only ODI cricket for the past one year.
In the show, former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris talks about Hardik Pandya taking on a leadership role in the future. “I think it’s an interesting discussion because six months ago, I don’t think it’s something we all would have thought about, but Hardik Pandya has made every poster winner, as Saba says. And you know Well, you see this a lot in football, where players of character and personality are often given armbands to become captains to allow them to show some responsibility. So I don’t mind Hardik Pandya being called Give some leadership to this side, be it vice-captain now or as a captain in the future because that’s exactly the direction this Indian team wants to go, whether it’s T20 in terms of their brand, they How do you want to play this game? Because Hardik Pandya definitely has the personality of today’s player where he wants to go out and expand and showcase his skills and really want to show that to everyone. how good they are. And I think that kind of leadership really breeds itself and Lends to everyone who plays with that style on the whole team. So, I wouldn’t be surprised maybe not for this tournament but in future we will see Hardik Pandya leading this T20 team. ,
Styris also spoke about KL Rahul’s selection and Ishan Kishan’s ouster from the Asia Cup squad. “KL Rahul was a simple decision out of all the possible match-ups that we have discussed, I think it was the easiest. You see, how valuable it is for the Indian team to the management and the selectors as he has also been given the vice-captaincy. So it says he was always a front line player in this Indian side and I think it is unfortunate for Ishan Kishan, he has left arm ability which I think he would have liked to be in the team if They probably could because it’s a lot of right-handed clout to get someone like Rishabh Pant. So, I think he will be disappointed and naturally, he is a fantastic player. But KL Rahul, it’s great for India that he’s back because, you know, he’s a real match-winner even on the biggest stage.