"In My Team, Shami Was...": Ex-India Selector On Pacer's Exclusion From Asia Cup Squad
NDTV
Former India selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said that Shami was literally there if he had to select the Asia Cup team
The India squad for the Asia Cup was announced on Monday and the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are back. Rohit Sharma will be leading the side while Rahul will act as deputy for the tournament that is set to begin from August 27. In their first game, India will square off against arch-rivals Pakistan. Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series due to a back injury. However, Mohammed Shami's exclusion from the squad has left a few perplexed.
Former India selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has said that Shami was literally there if he had to select the Asia Cup team. It is important to note that Shami had last played a T20I for India in the last year's World Cup and ever since he has not played the format for India.
"In my team, Shami was literally there. If I was the Chairman of the selection committee, I think Shami would have been there and probably, I would not have gone with Ravi Bishnoi. But I still believe that Axar Patel was a serious contender in my team. It would have been a big toss-up between Axar Patel and Ashwi," Srikkanth said on Star Sports' show 'Follow The Blues'.
KL Rahul returned to the Indian squad as vice-captain after recovering from injury and COVID-19. Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik are the two wicket-keeping options in the squad of 15. Three specialist spinners are part of the squad which includes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are the two all-rounders.
"I think the squad is pretty good but I think we would need one more medium pacer. We are going with one medium pacer short. Two wrist spinners is fine. I feel bad for Axar Patel, who has missed out. I am very happy for Deepak Hooda - he can bowl a bit, he's a good hitter and he's a good striker of the ball. What I like about Deepak Hooda is that he's a good striker of the ball, he's a flirter. Otherwise, this squad is a fantastic squad, only feel bad for Axar Patel," said Srikkanth.
PCB's fresh media release reiterates its stance on hosting the entire ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
Jasprit Bumrah isn't happy only leading the opening Test of the series against Australia. He wants more.
BCCI Blasted On Reports Of Rookie Being Inducted vs Australia In Perth: "Like Sourav Ganguly Did..."
With just 23 first-class games under his belt, Nitish Kumar Reddy's inclusion in the BGT series turned out to be a surprise for many.
India does not want to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, while the latter does not want to play in hybrid model
Germany rounded off their Nations League group stage campaign with a 1-1 draw in Hungary after a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty in the 99th minute rescued a point for the hosts
Young Spanish tennis sensation paid tribute to compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal, who bowed out of professional tennis following Davis Cup quarterfinal tie against Netherlands
Star Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen progressed to the second round with superlative wins in the women's and men's singles events at the China Masters
With India unwilling to send its team across the border over security concerns, the onus is on the ICC to help the boards establish a middle ground
Hardik Pandya overtook England's Liam Livingstone and Nepal dynamo Dipendra Singh Airee at the top of the T20I all-rounder charts
Rohit Sharma's participation in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under remains uncertain
The BCCI has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the Indian cricket team won't be travelling to Pakistan, the designated hosts, for the Champions Trophy.