The appointment of young fast bowler Umran Malik to Team India’s Asian Games 2023 squad took many by surprise, but Shivam Mavi’s unfortunate injury could make way for him in the squad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will make the replacement official in the coming days. The Indian team for the event will assemble in Bengaluru for a two-week preparation camp before leaving for Hangzhou.
According to a report in the Indian Express, the selectors were keen to pick Yash Thakur, but the young fast bowler is currently recovering from a back injury, making him unavailable. Thakur represented Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Team India’s second-row squad for the Asian Games will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad and the men’s T20 competition will be held from September 28 to October 8.
The deadline coincides with the build-up to the Men in Blue’s home ODI series against Australia. -Until the World Cup, first-team members were not considered for selection. Since the focus of the first-team coaching staff will also be on the World Cup, the Asian Games squad will be overseen by National Cricket Academy (NCA) chief VVS Laxman. Sariaj Bahule will look after the bowling department, while Munish Bali will be the fielding coach.
Umran Malik’s Last Competitive Appearance Came During The Tour Of The West Indies
Umran Malik earned his first India call-up for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) following the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. However, Malik’s form of late has been worrying. Thus, he was not considered for the Asia Cup, World Cup, or even the Asian Games squad. Malik played only eight matches in the 2023 IPL, taking five wickets at an economy of 10.85. He played two ODIs for Team India during the Caribbean tour but failed to take a single wicket, bowling only six overs in total.
According to reports, Tilak Verma may also miss the Asian Games as Team India management wants to keep the young batsman as a reserve player for the 2023 ODI World Cup
Team India squad for the 2023 Asian Games
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, and Prabhsimran Singh (wk).
