Asia Cup 2022: 3 players in India's squad who may not be picked for the T20 World Cup
Team India have had a fairly blip-free campaign on the field in the 2022 Asia Cup thus far. With wins over Pakistan and Hong Kong, the Men in Blue have coasted into the Super 4 stage, where they'll meet their arch-rivals again on Sunday, September 4.
Off the field, India have had to contend with an injury to Ravindra Jadeja, one that might keep the star all-rounder out of the T20 World Cup. The marquee ICC event is scheduled to begin next month in Australia, where conditions are wholly different to those in the UAE. As a result, India's squad for the T20 World Cup might look a touch different when compared to the one they've picked for the continental tournament.
Here are three players who are part of India's Asia Cup squad but may not be picked for the T20 World Cup.
#3 Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi has made an impressive start to his T20I career. He has picked up at least one wicket in eight of his nine matches in the format and has scalped at least two wickets in each of his last five games. He even registered career-best figures of 4/16 in his last T20I, which was against the West Indies last month.
However, can India name two out-and-out spinners in a 15-man squad that is being picked for a tournament held in Australia? Yuzvendra Chahal is undoubtedly the team's primary T20I spinner, and the selectors are unlikely to make the decision to leave him out of the T20 World Cup squad at the last moment two years in a row.
India's bench is likely to comprise of batters, fast bowlers and spin-bowling all-rounders. Bishnoi is a quality bowler and could be part of the traveling reserves, but it's tough to see him part of the main squad without leaving the team lacking backups in other departments.
#2 Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin earned a recall to the T20I side after four years for the 2021 T20 World Cup, where India suffered a disappointing exit. He has played five T20Is since then and has performed decently, having even been picked for the Asia Cup.
Although the veteran is yet to play a game in the tournament, he remains in the team's plans for the immediate future. But will Ashwin's bowling be effective in Australia? In five matches Down Under, he has scalped five wickets at an economy rate of 7.4. While those numbers are decent, the off-spinner isn't a prolific wicket-taker even in the subcontinent.
India will need their primary spinner to be threatening instead of economical, and they're unlikely to field Ashwin alongside a wrist-spinner because he doesn't offer as much as Axar Patel, for example, with the bat.
Ashwin might not fit into India's team combination for the T20 World Cup, if only because it's being held at venues where they might need to play four pace options. The finger-spinners they pick will need to be capable of batting in the top seven, and that's something that can't be said about the 35-year-old.
#1 Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan is likely to miss India's clash against Pakistan due to illness, but he may not have played even if he was available for selection. In a dreadful run of form right now, the young fast bowler has leaked runs at all stages of the innings. His pace seems to be down, and he also doesn't appear to have the variations needed to succeed at the highest level.
When Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel return, Avesh may not be anywhere near the Indian squad. The Men in Blue will undoubtedly need backups for Bumrah, Harshal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but they might look towards names like Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Chahar.
Avesh doesn't offer anything specific to the Indian team since he isn't overly threatening in the powerplay and has been woefully expensive at the death. The 25-year-old has probably not done enough to earn the trust of the team management, especially for a tournament as important as the T20 World Cup.