Scrutiny on India's selection again: Expert questions omission of fringe pacer for Sri Lanka tour

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has recently raised concerns over the BCCI overlooking the young Indian pacer Avesh Khan after excluding him from the recently concluded T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. Notably, Avesh Khan made a strong comeback in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League and was named as a reserve player for India’s squad in the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

The BCCI had rested the team’s ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the white ball series against Sri Lanka and named Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Khaleel Ahmed as the team’s frontline pacers for the T20 series, along with Harshit Rana in the ODIs. 

In the same vein, former India opener Akash Chopra expressed his disappointment with the BCCI selectors for omitting Avesh Khan from the team’s squads in both the T20Is and ODIs and opined for a clear roadmap for youngsters like Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna. The 47-year-old cricketer feels that Avesh Khan must have been given the chance on the Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe tours owing to his great form this year. Chopra feels that India's pacer must be there to boost the pace attack of the Indian cricket team.

"It's a good question because the team recently went for the T20 World Cup and Avesh Khan was in the reserves. After that, where is Avesh Khan? If we want to invest in him, Avesh Khan should have been around. He should have been there on the Sri Lanka tour and he should have played matches in Zimbabwe as well," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Also Read: After Bumrah, another Indian star exempted from playing Duleep Trophy

I personally rate Prasidh Krishna very highly although his numbers are not looking very good in T20Is: Aakash Chopra

The cricketer-turned-commentator further discussed the future of star pacer Prasidh Krishna in the shortest format despite his average numbers in T20Is. The well-known cricket commentator noted that, in the absence of Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, the BCCI should invest in Avesh Khan and Prasad Krishna and look forward to grooming them.

Chopra feels that the right-arm pacer has always performed well whenever given the chance in the national squad and seems like a like a very good bowler who aims to play at the peak of the level. Notably, Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna have been kept away from international cricket by the BCCI and the Players will be eyeing for strong performances in the upcoming domestic cricket season to make a comeback in Team India

"I personally rate Prasidh Krishna very highly although his numbers are not looking very good in T20Is. He has been hit a lot whenever he has played but I would like to invest. He has the potential to be a very good bowler at the highest level also," he added further.

Also Read: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other India stars to play one Duleep Trophy: Reports

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