India announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup tournament, to be played in the UAE from August 27, and the fast bowling department has a few young faces in the absence of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have both been included in the squad.
Speaking on SPORTS18's daily sports news show ‘Sports Over The Top', former India wicket-keeper batter and selector Saba Karim backed Avesh Khan's inclusion in the Asia Cup squad.
“I feel once you have invested in youngsters like Avesh Khan, you possibly can't leave them out to be barbecued and such youngsters haven't done anything wrong. I can understand Mohammed Shami on current form is a strong bet more so with Jasprit Bumrah out due to injury but it just feels that the selectors want to have that kind of security and they want to persist with the youngsters whom they have shown so much of faith.”
India will take on Pakistan in a blockbuster clash on August 28th and the two teams are also expected to face each other in the Super 4 stage, given they qualify.
Rohit Sharma is leading the Indian team and KL Rahul is back as the vice-captain.
Former India skipper Virat Kohli also returned to the squad and all eyes will be on him as he looks to get back to run-scoring form.
Avesh Khan has picked up 11 wickets in 13 T20Is so far, while Arshdeep Singh has picked up 9 wickets in 6 matches and has a much better economy than Avesh.