The omission of Mohammad Shami from India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2022 has left the cricket fraternity divided. The BCCI on Monday announced a 15-man squad for the multi-nation tournament, starting August 27 in the UAE. While the likes of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are back into the mix, pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel missed out owing to injuries. However, the non-selection of Shami became a major point of debate.
India’s bowling unit comprises Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Bishnoi, and Yuzvendra Chahal among spinners. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the senior-most in the pacer department and will be backed by Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Hardik Pandya.
The selection of Avesh ahead of Shami wasn’t welcomed by several cricket pundits, given the former’s tough tour of the Caribbean. He bowled a total of 11.2 overs in four T20Is against the West Indies and conceded 115 runs, at an average of 38.33and managed to pick just 3 wickets. However, former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim has backed his selection in the sqaud.
Speaking on Sport 18 show ‘Sports Over the Top’, Karim was asked if he was surprised by the exclusion of Shami. In reply, he said,
“I feel once you have invested in youngsters like Avesh Khan, you possibly can’t leave them out to be barbecued. Such youngsters haven’t done anything wrong. I can understand Mohammad Shami on current form is a strong bet, more so with Jasprit Bumrah out due to injury, but I just feel that the selectors want to have that kind of security and they want to persist with the youngsters in whom they have shown so much of faith," Karim said.
Karim, who had served as the chairman of selectors in the past, further stated that picking up a side is a pretty tough job. He added that Chetan Sharma & Co have done a good job by naming a balanced squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
“Absolutely right, it’s a tough job and I am happy the way the current selection committee has picked the side for the Asia Cup. It seems pretty balanced to me. It is a solid side. It’s good to see that they are going ahead with players who have that kind of buy-in to Rohit Sharma’s strategy and his tactics," he concluded.
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