From August 30 to September 17, 2023, a hybrid format will be used for the Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. One-Day International (ODI) matches will be contested this year, and based on the performances of all Asian teams, India and Pakistan are the front-runners to bring home the prized trophy. The expectation among Indian supporters is that their squad would perform similarly to the Men in Blue, who won the 2018 Asia Cup under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
In the 2018 edition, Rohit served as the team’s interim captain as Virat Kohli, the then-Indian captain, took a break. As the full-time captain this time, Indian fans anticipate that Rohit and his team will play excellent cricket and win the trophy once more on September 17. When comparing India’s roster to that from the 2018 Asia Cup, it is apparent that a few players that helped the team win the 2018 title are absent from this year’s roster.
The following five Asia Cup champions won’t compete in the 2023 tournament:
1. Deepak Chahar
After Hardik Pandya was forced to withdraw from the India team due to a lower-back ailment, Deepak Chahar was added to the roster for the 2018 Asia Cup. Chahar was frequently spotted warming benches throughout the competition. But under MS Dhoni’s guidance, Chahar made his way into the playing XI for India’s last “Super Four” round encounter against Afghanistan.
He bowled a four-over spell during the game and dismissed Gulbadin Naib just once. He did, however, end up being the most expensive Indian bowler in the match after giving up 37 runs. He helped the team score 12 runs with his bat when pursuing 252 after the poor bowling performance. But there was a tie at the end of the game.
Chahar wasn’t chosen this time since India has a variety of options for pace attack. Chahar may have improved India’s fast bowling squad, though, given Sri Lankan pitches are notorious for supporting seamers. The 31-year-old has proven that his outswingers can cause trouble for batters, so the Men in Blue may have benefited from having him join the team.
2. Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik was a middle-order batter for the Indian team during the 2018 Asia Cup. In his six games, he scored 146 runs over five innings, averaging 48.66. Karthik excelled in the competition and assisted India in winning the trophy a record-breaking seventh time.
Karthik had a key role in India’s World Cup team in 2019. He did not appear in another ODI for India 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 participate in any Men in Blue international match.
Karthik wasn’t selected for India’s Asia Cup 2023 squad this year either since the team management trusted Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul to keep wickets. India has a large number of middle order batsmen who could produce game-winning performances in the upcoming major event.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was essential to India’s trophy victory in 2018. In five games, he picked up six wickets at a 4.19 economy rate. He collected 3/15 numbers with the ball against Pakistan in the group encounter, leading India to a decisive eight-wicket victory. He also won Player of the Match for his incredible bowling statistics against the bitter rivals.
Bhuvneshwar was dropped from India’s ODI selection after the 2019 World Cup due to a decline in his white-ball performance. He made a visit of South Africa in December 2021 and took part in two of the three one-day matches there. He didn’t manage to take any wickets in the competition, though, and he also scored runs recklessly (7.27 expensive runs per over).
His dismal performance against the Proteas added fuel to the fire, as the selectors lost patience and dropped the speedy from ODIs. He last participated in the format at the Paarl one-day in January 2022. Bhuvneshwar was not included in the Indian team for the 2023 Asia Cup because to his poor performances in competitive cricket, according to the selectors.
4. Shikhar Dhawan
India’s thrilling Asia Cup victory was made possible in large part by Shikhar Dhawan’s bat. The southpaw finished as the series’ top run-getter after compiling 342 runs with a few tons in five games. Due to his outstanding at-bats, he was also given the Player of the Series honor.
Following India’s tour of Bangladesh in December 2022, Dhawan has not played in any international cricket matches since. Shubman Gill, who is currently serving India’s ODI team as an effective opener, took Dhawan’s place after the tour’s three games, in which he scored just 18 runs.
Dhawan was left off the 17-person Indian team for the Asia Cup 2023 that was announced on August 21 by captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Supporters of the veteran used social media to protest his expulsion in response to this.
5. Yuzvendra Chahal
Many selection India cricket fans were surprised to find Yuzvendra Chahal’s name missing from the Asia Cup selection list after Rohit and Agarkar announced the roster. Chahal, who visited the West Indies, didn’t play in any of the three ODIs. He took three wickets at an economy of 5.82 in two ODIs he played this year. Kuldeep Yadav was chosen over Chahal to help India’s spin-bowling duo with Ravindra Jadeja during the West Indies tour. Chahal was dropped by the team management due to Kuldeep’s impressive bowling statistics.
Chahal represented India in the 2018 Asia Cup, and he did an excellent job in his role. He contributed to India’s victory by taking six wickets in five games for an economy of 4.47. The selectors decided to go with Axar Patel for the Asia Cup 2023 over Chahal because they believed the former’s all-around skill may help India win another continental crown.
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