Asia Cup 2023: Since the announcement of the 17-man squad led by Ajit Agarkar for the 2023 Asia Cup, social media has been ablaze with debates and discussions regarding the selection and omission of players. Notably, senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who did not secure a spot in the Asia Cup squad, has expressed frustration towards such ongoing debates. He clarified the rationale behind the inclusion of Tilak Varma, who is yet to debut in ODIs, and Suryakumar Yadav, whose recent form in the 50-over format has been lackluster, as decisions made in preparation for the 2023 Asia Cup.
What did R Ashwin say?
Opinions on whether the lineup is robust or not are widely diverse. While the majority of the team selection aligns with expectations, a couple of prominent players found themselves left out. In a video posted on his youtube channel, Ashwin said, “Tilak hasn’t scored much in this Ireland series so far. But he is showing unreal intent from the first ball. And this youngsters is coming to bat with a clear mind. Since he is bringing some freshness into the squad, they have backed him for that backup slot. Similar with Surya.”
Continuing further, he said, “He has that x-factor and that’s why the team is backing him to come good in the ODI format as well. We will go back in time to see how we have won World Cups. be it MS Dhoni or any other captain, they have backed their players to come good. Of course, if you want to have a for and against debate for dropping or selecting player, you can have a healthy debate. We all know how good a player Suryakumar Yadav has been. His impact, what a match-winner he has been, and he has been our go-to T20 player. I think this is all IPL warfare.”
Explaining further Ashwin said, “When you get into the World Cup, we should see all our players as representatives of India. Once IPL gets over, put a cloth, move on, and once the player plays for India, accept that he played really well in the IPL. Fans are engaging in war even after IPL. Let us say, SKY is batting along side Virat Kohli in a crucial chase. Even if you are not a Mumbai Indians fan you will appreciate Suryakumar and will want him to take us home, right?”
Lastly, he said, “The selectors know what they are doing. In a huge country like India, when you select a squad, there will be some key players who will be missing the cut. So, just because your favourite is not there in the squad, you should not degrade the others.”
India’s squad for Asia Cup 2023
Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, the Indian cricket team commenced their journey in the 2023 Asia Cup on September 2. Their opening match took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where they faced Pakistan.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
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