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India recently announced their squad for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023, set to be held in Sri Lanka from July 14 to 23. The tournament will feature eight teams placed in two groups of four. India A belong to Group B, which also contains Nepal, the UAE, and Pakistan A teams.
Former India U-19 World Cup-winning captain Yash Dhull has been handed the reins of a side that also includes vice-captain Abhishek Sharma, B Sai Sudharsan, Prabhsimran Singh, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel among others.
India A Squad for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023: Yash Dhull (C), Abhishek Sharma (VC), B Sai Sudharsan, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nikin Jose, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
While the appointment of Yash Dhull as the captain has given rise to plenty of excitement, there are some factors that suggest this may not be a good move. Here are three reasons why picking Yash Dhull as the Indian captain for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023 may be a wrong decision.
#3 His recent captaincy stint with Delhi didn't go well
Yash Dhull's appointment as Delhi's captain for the 22/23 edition of the Ranji Trophy just a year after captaining the India U-19 side to a World Cup win caught the attention of many in the circuit. However, after an outstanding 21/22 season in which he scored 479 runs in only six innings at a stellar average of 119.75, Yash's debut season as a captain couldn't see him scale such heights.
In 10 innings, he could score only 270 runs at an average of 27.00, and it looked like the captaincy affected his batting performance. Delhi also endured a rather sub-par campaign, finishing sixth in the Elite Group B, nowhere near to qualifying for the knockout stages.
While there's no doubt he possesses leadership skills that could one day see him leading teams at the highest level, his Ranji stint as a captain suggests that it may affect his batting.
#2 There are more experienced options in the squad
It is a bit surprising to see the 20-year-old Yash Dhull named the skipper of a side despite having only featured in seven List A matches so far. In comparison, vice-captain Abhishek Sharma is a regular for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the IPL level, has captained Punjab on many occasions, and has played significantly more number of matches in List A cricket (38).
The experienced Riyan Parag, Prabhsimran Singh or even Sai Sudharsan have more cricket and experience under their belt, and it could be a risk going with a relatively inexperienced Yash Dhull as the captain.
#1 He isn't near to breaking into the Indian Team in any format
Yash Dhull is one of the many talented cricketers we see every two years coming out of a successful U-19 World Cup campaign. However, only a handful of players make a step up to play international cricket for the senior Indian side. While Yash Dhull certainly looks like he has what it takes to achieve that in the future, he's nowhere near to making it to the Indian team in any format right now.
Moreover, selectors keep a close eye on how players fare when they rub shoulders with international cricketers at the IPL level. Yash Dhull's sub-par performances in the league this season show that it isn't time yet for him to make the step up, despite his impressive performances in the domestic circuit.
In contrast, someone like Sai Sudharsan stood tall and delivered some eye-catching performances in IPL 2023, including a magnificent 47-ball 96 in the final. His composure, excellent shot selection and overall cricketing intelligence give him a good shot at making his debut for the national side soon.
The likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and Dhruv Jurel are all ahead of Yash in the pecking order when it comes to selection for the national team. With that being the case, it doesn't make much sense naming him the captain for this Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
