Asia Cup 2023 India squad analysis
The Indian squad for Asia Cup 2023 was announced on Tuesday (22nd August 2023) with some players selected on expected lines and some surprising exclusions as well. The squad is as follows:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Hardik Pandya (VC), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (backup)
Probable Playing XI and squad analysis:
Openers: As far as opening is concerned, Rohit and Shubman Gill will most probably be the preferred candidates. While Rohit’s form has been good, Shubman Gill has also had a good run in the past two years and he averages 62.48 in ODI Cricket. But he has hit a lean patch since the end of the IPL 2023. He wasn’t able to get runs in the recently concluded series against West Indies and struggled on slow pitches where there is turn and the ball doesn’t come on to the bat. His habit of playing through the line cost him his wicket there. He could play only four innings of substance in 10 matches on that tour. 29* in the second innings of the second test, 34 in the second ODI, 85 in the third ODI and 77 in the fourth T20I. While the conversion rate of 40% is poor, Shubman Gill will still most probably be opening the batting with Rohit Sharma (because he has the management’s backing). But if he doesn’t do well in the Asia Cup, we might see a different opening combination for the World Cup.
Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul will be forming the middle order. With Shreyas fit and available, he solves India’s long-standing number 4 problem. He averages 47.35 at that spot which bodes well for the team. While KL Rahul has developed a new niggle, he has still been picked in the Asia Cup squad. But what is the reason for his selection?
Rahul averages 53.00 at number 5 and the main reason for him being picked is experience and the stability he brings to India’s middle order. His ability to guide the team on slow pitches and play the anchor role (something which MS Dhoni used to do) can help the team in case the top order collapses. While KL is expected to miss the first two matches of Asia Cup, he should be available for the remainder of the tournament.
Source: https://twitter.com/ESPNcricinfo/status/1693860904687833382?t=gIda4cV1r3xjNimAps-ZIA&s=19
All Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur will be the all rounders in my XI. While there is no question on Jadeja’s place, Hardik’s recent form has been a bit of a concern. He couldn’t get going in the series against West Indies. His unbeaten innings of 70 runs in the third ODI was the only innings of substance while he struggled for timing all through the T20I series. But suddenly why has Hardik been struggling?
Well, it could be due to the one month gap between the IPL and the West Indies tour due to which Hardik looked rusty throughout the Limited Overs leg of the series. But nonetheless, this should not affect the Asia Cup participation of Hardik and he should be seen playing the World Cup as well.
Shardul Thakur is the third all rounder. He makes it to the playing XI on the back of good performances in ODI cricket in the last one year. While he might be expensive and leak runs sometimes, his knack of picking wickets at crucial junctures in the game, makes him a lethal weapon for the team while his ability to score handy runs in the lower order can also prove to be effective.
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav will be the bowlers in my XI. The return of Jasprit Bumrah from his back injury augurs well for team India and his recent performances on the tour of Ireland suggest that he is back to his best and playing the Asia Cup will only give him more game time. Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav will be the other two bowlers in my XI.
While these players are automatic selections, let’s take a look at some others players who are in the squad as well:
Ishan Kishan: With KL Rahul fit and available, questions arise that where does Ishan fit in the scheme of things? Well, if you ask me, he does not get a place in my XI because I see him as my backup opener. He clearly struggled when he got the opportunity to bat in the middle order. His recent double century also came while opening the batting. So to get the best out of him, he needs to play at the top of the order.
Suryakumar Yadav: This is an interesting one. SKY is the number one ranked T20I batter while he has not been able to solve the ODI puzzle yet. He averages 46.02 in T20 cricket in 53 matches. But his ODI numbers are drastically different. In 26 matches, he has a mediocre average of 24.33. But what could be the reason for this struggle?
Well, it might be due to the lack of exposure to ODI Cricket. Like there is the IPL for T20 Cricket, there is no tournament for ODI Cricket due to which SKY hasn’t got enough exposure to ODI Cricket which could be the reason for his struggles in this format. And lack of form is the primary reason for him not finding a place in the XI. He hasn’t made his opportunities count.
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/suryakumar-yadav-446507/photos
Axar Patel: Axar Patel has done well in the recent past whether it is IPL or International Cricket. But the reason for him not finding a place in the XI is because of lack of spots in the team. While he is a like for like replacement for Jadeja, unfortunately, he can only be used as a backup option in case of an injury.
Sanju Samson: Sanju Samson has been picked as a backup player in the Asia Cup squad. While he averages 55.71 in ODI Cricket, i feel the only reason for him not being picked in the main squad is due to the lack of spots and experience. But this does not mean that it’s the end of the road for him. He is still only 28 years old and a lot of cricket is still left to be played. So he will be getting a lot of opportunities. The only thing he needs to be wary of is inconsistency. If he scores runs consistently, he can cement his place in the team.
Tilak Varma: Getting his place in the Indian team on the basis of two good IPL seasons, Tilak Varma has been picked because of the uncertainty around India’s middle order. But he does not find a place in the XI because India’s middle order already has three experienced players who pick themselves. Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul (who is expected to be fit for majority of the tournament).
Mohammed Siraj: The most improved Indian bowler in the past 1 year, Mohammed Siraj has had great outings in ODI Cricket and has been picked for the Asia Cup. But he does not find a place in the XI because of two reasons:
- Indian team needs players who can contribute with the bat in the lower order and can offer some overs as well (Thus Shardul is selected in my XI).
- India already has two premium new ball bowlers in Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.
Prasidh Krishna: Just like Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna’s return from injury was also triumphant and his most recent appearance came in the recently concluded series against Ireland. Although his numbers in that series were good, (4 wickets for 61 runs in 2 games at an average of 15.25 while the third game was washed out) Prasidh does not find a place in my XI simply because of lack of spots in the team and unfortunately he can only be used in case of an injury.
Surprising Exclusions: While these 17 players were picked on expected lines, there were some surprising exclusions as well:
Yuzvendra Chahal: Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion was the most surprising. Everyone expected him to be picked. This was the case during the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups as well. While Chahal wasn’t picked in the 2021 World Cup squad, he did get a place in the 2022 World Cup squad but didn’t play a single game that tournament. In the 2023 Asia Cup as well, Chahal didn’t get a place in the squad. But why wasn’t he picked for this tournament even when his ODI numbers are decent? (Chahal has picked 121 wickets in 72 matches at an average of 27.13)
Well, Rohit Sharma explained that he wanted players who could bat in the lower order and give some overs as well when required. This is the reason why Axar Patel got the nod ahead of Chahal.
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/yuzvendra-chahal-430246/photos
Ravichandran Ashwin: There were rumors circulating that Ashwin could make an ODI comeback and be selected for Asia Cup 2023. But this is not the case. Former Indian cricketers and experts have criticised the selection committee for not picking Ashwin. But what could be the reason for his non selection?
Well, Ashwin is 36 years old and his best days are clearly behind him and age does play a big factor in selection of players for Indian cricket team. Another reason could be the lack of spots in the team as the maximum strength of players is only 17. While Rohit has mentioned that the doors are not closed for Chahal and Ashwin, it remains to be seen if they make the cut for the World Cup squad.
Note: The credit for the images used goes to ESPNcricinfo (Twitter for Mobile) and ESPNcricinfo.com. I do not own any of these images.