The selected Asia Cup squad is likely to form the core group for the ODI World Cup, which follows the continental tournament.
Earlier this week on Monday, the BCCI announced a 17-member squad in a presser for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023, scheduled to commence next week. During the conference, it was indicated that this selected squad is likely to form the core group for the ODI World Cup, which follows the continental tournament.
The inclusion of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in the squad has been met with relief from both fans and the team management. Both players, who had been sidelined due to injuries, finally made their return from hiatus after showing signals of positive progress. Agarkar also communicated that Iyer’s recovery has been fully successful, whereas Rahul’s participation in the initial stages of the Asia Cup might be hindered by a minor concern.
However, certain omissions from the list have sparked discussions, most notably the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal.
The decision to exclude the wrist-spinner has prompted questions, with the management leaning towards Kuldeep Yadav instead. Chahal’s omission has drawn considerable attention, with many criticizing the choice, and the latest addition to this list of critics is AB de Villiers. The former South Africa captain, who shared the dressing room with Chahal in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore, expressed his ‘disappointment’ at the leg-spinner losing his place in the side.
“Chahal has been dropped, selectors making their intentions clear who they will be picking. It’s a bit of disappointing drop for me, Yuzi is always very handy and it’s great to have the leg-spinning option in your team. We know how skillful he is,” de Villiers said on his official YouTube channel.
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Chahal had been inconsistent in the fifty-over format for some time and during the recently-concluded ODI series against West Indies, he did not feature in a single game. In the T20Is, Chahal managed to take five wickets in as many matches but at a relatively higher economy rate of 9.05.
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