Former cricketer Aakash Chopra was unhappy with Mohammed Shami’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2022 squad that was announced on Monday (August 8). The BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the intra-continental competition, which will get underway on August 27.
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli and star batter KL Rahul returned to the squad, while ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah missed out due to an injury. However, Shami’s absence grabbed a few eyeballs given that is probably the squad that will fly to Australia later this year for the ICC T20 World Cup.
Speaking on Hotstar (via India Today) about the squad selection, Aakash Chopra questioned the 31-year-old’s omission, stressing that his IPL numbers are great and that he deserves a spot over Avesh Khan.
“Why everybody has forgotten about Mohammad Shami is beyond me. He has performed well, his IPL numbers are great,” Chopra said.
“I think if it was a race between Avesh Khan and Mohammad Shami, I will go with Mohammed Shami with my eyes closed. Nothing against Avesh, but I feel that Shami should have been given a chance with the new ball in the absence of a Jasprit Bumrah,” he added.
🚨#TeamIndia squad for Asia Cup 2022 – Rohit Sharma (Capt ), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, R Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Jadeja, R Ashwin, Y Chahal, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 8, 2022
The selectors preferred the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan over Mohammed Shami. Incidentally, Shami has not featured in a T20I game since the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 last year in the UAE.
India to begin Asia Cup 2022 campaign against Pakistan
The defending champions will begin their Asia Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. This tournament will act as a preparation ground for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Rohit Sharma and Co. have been in rampant form since their group-stage exit from the 2021 T20 World Cup, winning five of their last six bilateral T20 series. The 2007 T20 World Cup champions won the five-game T20 series against the West Indies 4-1.
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