Asia Cup 2023: Notable Omissions From Indian Squad Ft. Samson, Chahal

Asia Cup 2023: Whilst the 17-member squad is along expected lines, there are a few notable omissions.

The spectacle, which unfolded in Delhi on Monday, 21 August, had plenty of promising signs. In a surprising move – albeit not unprecedented, but certainly infrequent – the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma, and chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, were available to answer questions pertaining to India’s 17-member squad for the 2023 Asia Cup.

Whilst the execution was welcomed by all concomitant stakeholders of Indian cricket, the squad, too, did not spark a barrage of questions, unlike its predecessors for international competitions.

Here's the Rohit Sharma-led team for the upcoming #AsiaCup2023 🙌#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/TdSyyChB0b

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 21, 2023

Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul – two batters who were nursing injuries – are now back in the team, albeit Rahul is currently nursing a new niggle. Tilak Varma, who was impressive in the recently-concluded series against West Indies, has been handed his maiden ODI call-up.

Beyond the blend of expected and unexpected names, there were also a few notable omissions, as is the case with any squad announcement. Here are the players who were in the race for a place, but ultimately missed out:

1. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has been named as a travelling reserve, with Rahul yet to be completely fit. Although, he might consider himself unlucky for missing out from the main squad.

Since IPL 2023, the wicketkeeper-batter has made nine appearances for India, scoring only 133 runs. Seven of those appearances, however, came in the T20I format, whilst he scored a half-century in an ODI against West Indies recently.

Underwhelming T20I numbers could well have been overlooked for the Asia Cup, which will be played in the 50-over format this time around, but with both Tilak and Suryakumar Yadav doing well in the T20Is against West Indies, there was no place for Samson in the squad.

2. Yuzvendra Chahal

The unceasing debate on Sanju Samson’s importance will not come to a conclusion anytime soon, but for many, his omission does not come as a surprise. Yuzvendra Chahal’s case, however, is in complete contrast.

Around three months ago, with 21 wickets to his name in IPL 2023, it seemed that Chahal will be among the first names on the Indian squad for the Asia Cup and World Cup.

And, here we are now, with Chahal excluded from the former squad, and likely to be handed the same treatment in the latter.

Like Samson, lukewarm performances in T20Is cost an ODI place for Chahal as well. He featured in all of the five T20Is against West Indies, wherein he had an encouraging start with four wickets in the first two matches, but was then derailed.

The 33-year-old picked up only one wicket in the next three matches, and even conceded 51 runs in his last appearance.

Explaining Chahal’s omission, Agarkar cited the lack of room to field two wrist-spinners, as he said “Chahal is a terrific performer but we had to look at the balance of the team. To fit in two wrist spinners was difficult. We can fit only one wrist spinner. It’s unfortunate for one to miss out, but right now, Kuldeep is a bit ahead.”

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad

One of IPL’s most consistent batters in recent years, Gaikwad was justifiably given leadership duties for the Asian Games, wherein matches will be played in the T20 format, and the experienced players will all be engaged in their World Cup preparations.

Ahead of embarking on a new journey as the Indian captain in Hangzhou Asian Games, Ruturaj Gaikwad could have expected his name to appear on the squad list, albeit it is now evident that the selectors have not considered him for the ODI format.

Only a day prior to the announcement of the Asia Cup squad, the opening batter also scored a half-century against Ireland. Yet, it was not enough to enter the fray for the ODI squad.

Honourable Mentions – Ravichandran Ashwin & Shikhar Dhawan

Albeit they have not featured in ODI cricket for a while now, few expected the veteran pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shikhar Dhawan to have an outside chance of making it to the squad.

With Chahal’s form not eliciting confidence, and the team not having a specialist right-arm spinner, Ashwin might have been considered during the team selection meetings, with Rohit Sharma even confirming the door has not been closed on him for the World Cup. For the Asia Cup, however, he will remain a spectator.

Meanwhile, with Shubman Gill not being at his best in the last few matches, Dhawan had a rather unexpected glimmer of hope. The team management, however, entrusted the pair of Gill and Ishan Kishan with the responsibilities of partnering Sharma.

Explaining the 37-year-old’s omission, Agarkar said “Shikhar Dhawan has been terrific for India, but currently Rohit Sharma, Gill and Kishan are our 3 preferred openers.”