Asia Cup 2022: 3 reasons why Avesh Khan needs to have a good tournament
August 27 will mark the start date of the 2022 Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20I format as a prelude to the T20 World Cup, to be held later this year in Australia. India, as always, will be one of the firm favorites to lift the intercontinental trophy.
India have picked a 15-man squad for the competition. Deepak Hooda has stolen a march over names like Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson to make the main squad, while Virat Kohli and KL Rahul return to the fold. The squad will, of course, be captained by Rohit Sharma.
India's squad for the Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan, who made his international debut earlier this year, has also found a place in the contingent. The inexperienced quick will be under the pump in the UAE. Here are three reasons why he needs to have a good tournament.
#3 Avesh Khan's form has dipped drastically of late
Avesh Khan hasn't been at his best over the last few months. Although he had a decent Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with the Lucknow Super Giants, his form on the international stage has waned drastically.
In his last five T20Is, Avesh has picked up two or more wickets only once. And although that performance (2/17) broke a series of expensive spells and won him the Player of the Match award, he has offered hardly any penetration in any of the other games. The 25-year-old also had a nightmare performance on his ODI debut against the West Indies earlier this month as he leaked 54 runs in six overs.
On a personal level, Avesh needs to get his act together - especially at the death, where he's been plundered on a regular basis. He clearly has the faith of the team management, but time is running out for him to prove that he's ready for international cricket.
#2 India have picked only three pacers in the Asia Cup 2022 squad
India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup features only three pacers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan. Deepak Chahar, returning from a long injury layoff, is part of the reserves, but it's clear that the Men in Blue are short of options in the pace department.
The pitches in the UAE have been relaid recently and might not be as spin-friendly as the selectors think they will be. With both Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep not being express pacers, a lot of responsibility could fall on Avesh to be the middle-overs enforcer.
Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are absent from the Asia Cup squad owing to injury, while Mohammad Shami seems to have run his last race in the T20I format. Given these constraints, India desperately need Avesh Khan to step up and ensure that other key fast bowlers' absences aren't felt.
#1 A spot in India's T20 World Cup squad is up for grabs
Harshal may not recover in time for the T20 World Cup, throwing a spanner into India's works. It will be tough for the Men in Blue to zero in on their primary pace-bowling contingent for the tournament Down Under, and trying out options like Arshdeep and Avesh is their only shot at arriving at the ideal squad.
Avesh made his T20I debut in February this year and has only 13 games in the format, but he has two solid IPL seasons under his belt. The young pacer is well in the mix to be selected for the T20 World Cup, given his hit-the-deck style of bowling and his ability to generate pace and lateral movement.
The general belief is that India's T20 World Cup squad will bear a striking resemblance to the unit they have chosen for the Asia Cup, and Avesh needs to perform well if he wishes to be on the plane to Australia.