Asia Cup 2022: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian team for upcoming Asia Cup 2022. Star batter KL Rahul was named India's vice-captain for the mega event. Rahul sustained a groin injury during Indian Premier League 2022 after which he was forced to miss T20 series against South Africa, India's tour of England and series against West Indies. Rahul was supposed to make his India comeback during Ind vs WI series but he was ruled out after testing positive for Coronavirus. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper will now make a comeback in the Asia Cup 2022.
"Rahul hasn't played international cricket for a while, yet he has been picked ahead of Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson, who were playing continuously. Whenever a player is back from injury, you shouldn't rush him into the XI. He should have been given a bit of time to ease into the team as he is an important player for India in the T20 World Cup," said Danish Kaneria on his YouTube Channel, TimesNow reported.
"I was worried about their pace bowling because the injuries to Bumrah and Harshal meant that they were ruled out of the Asia Cup. Despite knowing that Avesh Khan can be expensive on the slow tracks in UAE, they have gone ahead with him. I feel Mohammad Shami could have been a much better option," said the former Pakistan spinner.
The Indian team in the upcoming Asia Cup will be led by all-format skipper Rohit Sharma with KL Rahul as his deputy. The tournament hosted by Sri Lanka will take place from August 27 to September 11 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Indian pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel were not available for selection owing to injuries. They are currently undergoing rehab at the NCA in Bengaluru, said BCCI on Twitter. Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Deepak Chahar have been named as standbys.