Win Projections to be updated soon
From August 30 to September 17, 2023, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will host a hybrid edition of the Asia Cup. Since it will be contested in the One-Day International (ODI) format this year, India and Pakistan are the front-runners to bring home the coveted trophy based on the performances of all Asian teams. Indian supporters anticipate that their team will play similarly to how they did at the 2018 Asia Cup, when Rohit Sharma led the Men in Blue to victory and the trophy.
In the 2018 edition, Rohit served as the team’s interim captain as India’s regular captain Virat Kohli took a break. This time, Rohit is the permanent captain, and Indian supporters anticipate that he and his team will play excellent cricket and win the trophy once more on September 17. When comparing India’s squad to that of the 2018 Asia Cup, it is clear that some of the players that helped the nation win the title in 2018 are not included in this year’s lineup.
The five Asia Cup champions from 2018 who won’t compete in the 2023 tournament are as follows:
1. Deepak Chahar
After Hardik Pandya was forced to withdraw from the India team for the 2018 Asia Cup due to a lower-back ailment, Deepak Chahar was added to the roster. Chahar warmed benches for most of the contest’s games. Chahar, however, made his way into the starting XI for India’s last “Super Four” round encounter against Afghanistan, captained by MS Dhoni.
He bowled a four-over session during the game, picking off Gulbadin Naib as his lone victim. By giving up 37 runs, he ended up being the most expensive Indian bowler in the match. He scored 12 runs for the team when chasing 252 after the poor bowling performance. But a tie was the result of the game.
This time, the selectors passed on Chahar since India had a variety of options for pace attack. Chahar, though, could have contributed more to India’s fast bowling squad because Sri Lankan pitches are notorious for supporting seamers. The 31-year-old has demonstrated his ability to confuse batters with his outswingers, so the Men in Blue may have benefited from having him join the team.
2. Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik participated in the 2018 Asia Cup for India as a middle-order batter. In six games, he scored 146 runs in five innings, averaging 48.66, for a 48.66 run average. Karthik performed admirably during the contest and assisted India in winning the trophy a record-breaking seventh time.
Karthik was also a crucial component of India’s World Cup team in 2019. He didn’t play again for India in an ODI after the semi-final match against New Zealand. After his poor showing in the T20 World Cup in 2022, the veteran was also denied the opportunity to play in any international match for the Men in Blue.
Karthik was not selected for India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad this year either because Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul were trusted by the team management to keep wickets. India has many batters in the middle order who have the potential to perform match-winning innings in the upcoming major event.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was crucial to India’s 2018 trophy victory. In five games, he took six wickets for an economy of 4.19. He amassed 3/15 stats with the ball in the group match against Pakistan and led India to a decisive eight-wicket victory. Due to his incredible bowling statistics against the bitter rivals, he was also given the Player of the Match award.
Bhuvneshwar was cut from India’s ODI selection after his performance in white-ball cricket suffered after the 2019 World Cup. He visited South Africa in December 2021 and participated in two of the three one-day matches. He didn’t manage to take any wickets in the competition, though, and he also ran up costly run costs of 7.27.
Selectors lost patience and dropped the speedster from ODIs due to his dismal performance against the Proteas, which added more charcoal to the fire. His final outing in the format was The Paarl one-day in January 2022. The selectors decided not to include Bhuvneshwar in the Indian team for the 2023 Asia Cup because to his poor performances in competitive cricket.
4. Shikhar Dhawan
With his bat, Shikhar Dhawan significantly contributed to India’s thrilling Asia Cup victory. The southpaw finished the series with the most runs scored, scoring 342 runs with a few tons in five games. He also won the Player of the Series award for his outstanding at-bat performance.
After India’s tour of Bangladesh in December 2022, Dhawan stopped playing in international cricket. Dhawan, who participated in three games of the tour, scored just 18 runs in those games and was replaced by Shubman Gill, who is currently opening effectively for India’s ODI team.
Dhawan was not included in the squad when the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma unveiled the 17-member Indian team for the Asia Cup 2023 on August 21. This prompted the veteran’s followers to express their opposition to his expulsion by supporting him on social media.
5. Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal’s name was notably absent from the Asia Cup selection list after Rohit and Agarkar announced it, much to the surprise of selection India cricket fans. The three-match ODI series didn’t include any games for Chahal, who just visited the West Indies. He participated in two ODIs this year, taking three wickets at a 5.82 economy rate. Kuldeep Yadav was chosen over Chahal to complement Ravindra Jadeja’s spin-bowling unit for India’s West Indies tour. The team management elected to bench Chahal in light of Kuldeep’s impressive bowling statistics.
Chahal was a member of the Indian team at the 2018 Asia Cup and did an excellent job in his role. Having taken six wickets in five games for an economy of 4.47, he contributed to India’s victory against Pakistan. Axar Patel has been chosen over Chahal for the Asia Cup 2023 because the selection committee believed the former’s all-around abilities may help India win another continental crown.
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