Mumbai 9 August : The Asia Cup 2022 to be played in the United Arab Emirates from August 27 might be the last chance for a lot of youngsters including Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan, to show their skills and claim to the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in the coming months. The Indian cricket board announced on Monday the 15 players in the team for the Asia Cup with stalwarts such as Virat Kohli and opener KL Rahul returning even as the pace leader Jasprit Bumrah as well as Harshal Patel are out due to rib and back injuries respectively.
It has provided an opportunity to players such as of Arshdeep, Avesh, Ravi Bishnoi and Deepak Hooda to show off their talents in the tournament at the continental level and make a compelling argument for their participation in the T20 World Cup in October-November this year.
All four cricketers have had an impression in the format that is the most compact after their debuts after the 2021 T20 World Cup debacle in the UAE.As the tweaker Bishnoi has been a hit with his variations taking 15 wickets in nine games at an economic rate of 7.15 in the shortest format and his ability to master the art of the googly has put several batters in a state of confusion.
The tall Arshdeep Singh made his debut on the tour of England and in his short time of six games has made a massive impression, particularly in the recent series against the West Indies.He has taken 15 wickets, achieving an economic rate of 6.33 and has bowled some exceptional yorkers.
Avesh Khan’s capability to generate the bounce and pace in the West Indies has seen him getting an opportunity to play during the Asia Cup, which will allow him to stake a claim to a spot in the World Cup squad.He has scored 11 wickets over 13 games and is averaging an economy rate of 8.67 as per ICC.
For Hooda his determination and versatility have seen him overcome opposition from Shreyas Iyer.The 27-year-old has played in nine T20Is, scoring 274 run in averaging of 54.80 as well as a stunning strike rate of 161.17, with one memorable century against Ireland.The off-spinners he has been using have proved to be a boon in his favor and will give the team an extra bowling option.
It’s a good Asia Cup for the quartet and they could be eyeing a spot for the World Cup in Australia.
The Asia Cup will be played in the UAE from August 27 until September 11.The 15th edition of the tournament will be played by six teams including the qualifying team.India are champions defending their title and are the most successful of teams, winning the title seven times.They began their title defense against Pakistan on the 28th of August.
While the previous version of the tournament was played in the ODI format, this one will be held in T20 format as 2022 will be the T20 World Cup year.India are in Group A with Pakistan and a qualifying team .Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B.
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