India whitewashed Zimbabwe in the recently concluded three-match ODI series under the leadership of KL Rahul. The rise of Shubman Gill and the return of Deepak Chahar were some of the positives for the visitors.
Now the Men in Blue are gearing up for the Asia Cup 2022. Team India will kick off their campaign by taking on their arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium.
A 15-member squad has been selected by the BCCI for the six-team competition. The Rohit Sharma-led side will miss the services of their experienced pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel who were ruled out of the tournament due to injuries.
While the Men in Blue have the backups ready for the role, some names who might not get a chance in the multi-nation tournament. Here we look at such names:-
1) Deepak Hooda
The Baroda cricketer has been a consistent performer for the Men in Blue in recent times. He is also a lucky charm as India are yet to lose a match with Hooda featuring in the XI. However, the middle-order is already overcrowded with the likes of Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. Thus, it will be hard for Hooda to find a spot for himself in the team.
2) Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi has proved his worth in white-ball cricket whenever he was given an opportunity. However, the Indian side is possessing some quality spinners in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja. As a result, the management might not be keen to test a new name on the big occasion, and Bishnoi might make it into the team only in case of an injury.
3) Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan bounced back after going for bunkers in an ODI match against West Indies. On top of that, the Indian side will be without the services of their ace pacers Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah. But that might not be enough for Avesh to get a spot in the team as the UAE pitches are spinners friendly. So the Men in Blue might go with three pacers in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya.
