3 Indian players who could be in or out of the T20 World Cup squad depending on their Asia Cup 2022 performance
The selectors on Monday (August 8) named the Team India squad for the Asia Cup 2022 tournament, which will be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. Rohit Sharma, who has been rested for the three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe, returns to captain the team. KL Rahul is also back, having overcome his battle with injuries and COVID-19. He has been named vice-captain for the series.
On the expected lines, Virat Kohli, who did not feature in the white-ball series in the West Indies and won’t be part of the Zimbabwe tour as well, has been named in the Asia Cup 2022 squad. Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are unavailable due to injuries, while Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Deepak Chahar have been named as standbys.
The Asia Cup will be significant for fringe players keeping the T20 World Cup in mind.
In this feature, we look at three players who could be in or out of the T20 World Cup squad depending on their performance in the event in the UAE.
#1 Deepak Hooda
Hard-hitting batter Deepak Hooda has had a mixed run in his short international career so far. He impressed in the T20I series against Ireland, smashing 47* and 104 in the two games.
Subsequently, he scored 33 off 17 in the first T20I against England. There was a bit of an uproar after Hooda was dropped in favor of Kohli for the last two matches of the series.
Hooda did get a few opportunities to prove himself during the white-ball series in West Indies, but disappointed more often than not. He struggled during the ODIs, scoring 27 off 32 in the first match and 33 off 36 in the second. His limitations with strokeplay when the ball does not come onto the bat were evident in these two games.
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He did better in the T20Is, scoring 21 off 19 in the fourth match and 38 off 25 in the fifth. Batting at No. 3, he should have converted starts into bigger scores. Hooda can also bowl some handy off-spin. However, a poor Asia Cup campaign could put his T20 World Cup spot in jeopardy.
#2 Ravi Bishnoi
Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi had an excellent T20I series against West Indies. He was the second-leading wicket-taker with eight wickets in three matches. He bamboozled the Windies batters and ended the series by registering career-best T20I figures of four for 16. In nine matches, Bishnoi has claimed 15 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 7.15.
What has impressed pundits the most about the 21-year-old is Bishnoi’s positive attitude. He seems unruffled even after being hit for a few boundaries, a quality that has been evident in his IPL career as well.
Having said that, Bishnoi’s chances of making the T20 World Cup are slim. Experienced spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin are above him in the pecking order. Also, if fit, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who can bowl four overs of left-arm spin, walks into the playing XI.
Another left-arm spinner, Axar, is in the race as well. He has often impressed in the limited opportunities that he has been given. As such, Bishnoi faces stiff competition in the spin department. However, a standout performance from the leggie in Asia Cup 2022 might put the selectors in a dilemma.
#3 Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan has had a mixed start to his international career. In 13 T20I matches, he has claimed 11 wickets at an average of 31.81 and an economy rate of 8.67. The pacer had two very poor games during the T20I series against West Indies. He was extremely erratic in the second match, conceding 31 runs in 2.2 overs. Avesh followed it up with another shabby effort of 0 for 47 in three overs.
The pacer redeemed himself with figures of two for 17 in the fourth T20I, an impressive effort which also saw him win the Man of the Match award. However, it is clear that Avesh still has a long way to go as a bowler in international cricket. It was a surprise that Avesh was picked ahead of Chahar in the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup.
The youngster has a chance to present a case for selection for the T20 World Cup by doing well in the UAE. Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal are first-choice picks among the pacers for the T20 World Cup.
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Young left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh has also made a massive impact in the few matches he has played. However, with injury concerns over Bumrah and Harshal, Avesh might have an outside chance of making the World Cup squad if he does well in the Asia Cup.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: 3 players who were unlucky to miss out from India's 15-member squad