Asian Games T20I tournament will begin later this year in September. BCCI has approved the participation of the Indian men and women’s team in the mega event, which will happen in China. Since a majority of the star Indian players will be busy with Asia Cup and Cricket World Cup, BCCI have named a second-string men’s squad for the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings star Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named the skipper of the side. Several new faces like Rinku Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and Tilak Varma are also present in the squad. The selection committee raised quite a few eyebrows by not naming any major senior players in the squad. Shivam Dube returned, but the following four senior players unluckily missed out.
1. Shikhar Dhawan deserved to be in Indian T20I squad for Asian Games
Shikhar Dhawan was the captain of India’s second-string squad in 2022. Whenever the likes of Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would take rest, Dhawan would captain India. However, he has been ignored now.
2. Dinesh Karthik could have ended his T20I career on a grand note in Asian Games
Dinesh Karthik lost his place in the Indian playing XI during the T20 World Cup last year. Karthik was the hero of India’s Nidahas Trophy win in 2018. He deserves a proper farewell, and China could have been a great choice.
3. Piyush Chawla
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla came back with a lot of motivation in IPL 2023, playing for the Mumbai Indians. He emerged as one of the most successful spinners in the tournament. Chawla deserves another chance to prove himself in the T20 format.
4. Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma has been a part of big events before. The medium pacer made an excellent return to IPL 2023 as a part of the Gujarat Titans. Perhaps, BCCI could have recalled him as well, along with Shivam Dube.
