Umran Malik set to replace injured Shivam Mavi in Team India's Asian Games 2023 squad - Reports
Young pacer Umran Malik's snub for Team India's Asian Games 2023 squad took several by surprise, but an unfortunate injury to Shivam Mavi might pave his way into the team. The Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) will make the replacement official in the coming days.
The Indian team for the event are slated to converge in Bangalore for a two-week preparatory camp before leaving for Hangzhou.
According to a report by the Indian Express, the selectors were keen on picking Yash Thakur, but the young pacer is currently recovering from a back injury that makes him unavailable. Thakur represented the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Team India's second-string squad for the Asian Games will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad and the men's T20 event will be conducted from September 28 to October 8. With the timeframe coinciding with the Men in Blue's home ODI series against Australia as well as the build-up to the World Cup, the first-team members were not considered for selection.
Since the first-team coaching staff will also be focused on the World Cup, the Asian Games squad will be overseen by National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman. Sariaj Bahutule will look after the bowling department, while Munish Bali will be the fielding coach.
Umran Malik's last competitive appearance came during the tour of the West Indies
Umran Malik earned his maiden India call-up following an exceptional 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, Malik's form of late has been concerning, to say the least. Thus, he was not considered for the Asia Cup, World Cup, or even the Asian Games squad.
Malik only played eight matches in the 2023 IPL, claiming five wickets at an economy of 10.85. He played in two ODIs for Team India during their tour of the Caribbean but failed to pick up a single wicket while bowling only a combined total of six overs.
According to reports, Tilak Varma might also not feature in the Asian Games as the Team India management wishes to keep the young batter as a reserve player for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Team India squad for 2023 Asian Games
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, and Prabhsimran Singh (wk).
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