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'Felt it could've been a race, or you could pick both': Ex-India batter puzzled with Shami's snub from Asia Cup squad
Mohammed Shami failed to make the cut as Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Avesh Khan will be seen taking charge of the pace department.
The BCCI on Monday announced the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, which starts from August 27. India's premier batters Virat Kohli and KL Rahul made a return to the team. Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, and Axar Patel have been kept as reserved. Ishan Kishan and Jasprit Bumrah, who is injured, are the notable absentees from the squad.
Mohammed Shami also failed to make the cut as Arshdeep Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Avesh Khan will be seen taking charge of the pace department. However, former India batter Aakash Chopra was not very pleased with India's selection in the seam department. He felt there was space for a fourth seamer, considering the tracks in UAE, the venue of the tournament.
“My question is that the Dubai pitch and the September month, it helps the fast bowlers. There is a lot of grass on the pitch. The pitch does not change for the entire tournament; there is consistent help for the fast bowlers. We saw that in the IPL and have seen it repeatedly. So what is the issue?” questioned Chopra in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Chopra also looked puzzled with Shami's snub, considering the performance he delivered in the IPL. Sharing his views on the same, the ex-India cricketer said: “Where is Mohammed Shami? I felt it could have been a race between Avesh Khan and Mohammed Shami, or you could have picked both because four fast bowlers are necessary, in my opinion.”
“I think he was phenomenal. If you can bowl like that with so much experience, I thought this opportunity was there for the taking,” he added.
