3 Indian men's players who were lucky to be picked in the Asian Games 2023 squad

Team India were always going to send a youthful squad for the Asian Games 2023, which will see the men's cricket competition commence on September 28 and conclude on October 8. The Men in Blue's first-choice side, meanwhile, will take part in the 2023 ODI World Cup, to be held in India from October 5.

The BCCI has announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as the captain of the Asian Games contingent, which features uncapped players like Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Tilak Varma. While most of the bowlers have played for India before, they are fringe players who haven't established themselves as regular members of the national side.

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Team India men's squad for the Asian Games 2023: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), 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, Prabhsimran Singh (wk).

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Here are three Indian men's players who were lucky to be picked in the Asian Games 2023 squad.

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#3 Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar has been picked in all of India's squads lately.

Mukesh Kumar has been part of almost all of India's squads across formats in recent months. The fast bowler is an excellent red-ball option, but he hasn't shown much by way of capability in limited-overs cricket.

In the T20 format, Mukesh has picked up 32 wickets in 33 matches at an economy rate of 8.11, and his bowling average of 28.68 isn't great either. He hasn't been able to develop himself into a reliable all-phase bowler, often being found wanting in the variations department.

Mukesh also had an indifferent 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Delhi Capitals (DC). He went wicketless in five of the 10 matches he played and picked up two wickets or more only twice. Even in those matches, the 29-year-old's economy rate was high.

With several other younger, more reliable options available to be called up, Mukesh can consider himself fortunate to have been picked for the Asian Games.

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#2 Shahbaz Ahmed

3rd One Day International: India v South Africa.

Shahbaz Ahmed has excellent numbers in first-class and List A cricket, so him being picked in the Test and ODI squads as a backup to the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel cannot be argued. In the shortest format, however, the all-rounder isn't one of the best in the country.

In 72 T20s, Shahbaz averages only 23.06 and a strike rate of 126.83, with two fifties to his name. With the ball, meanwhile, the left-arm spinner has managed 47 wickets at an economy rate of 7.41. His game against spin and reliability with the ball has often come under question.

Shahbaz has never become a consistent performer at the IPL level either. He was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) playing XII in IPL 2023 without making any impact, eventually losing his place in the side.

Shahbaz is 28 years old without any significant T20 displays to his name, and India could've looked towards younger finger-spinning all-rounders who are coming through the ranks.

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#1 Avesh Khan

India v New Zealand - T20 International.

India have picked four fast bowlers in their Asian Games squad. Arshdeep Singh is expected to lead the pace attack, but Avesh Khan won't be too far behind.

Avesh is clearly viewed by the selectors as someone who can bowl at all stages of the innings, but his recent displays have been far from convincing. His fitness and pace have been questioned lately, while his variations and accuracy have let him down at crucial junctures.

Like the others on this list, Avesh had an indifferent IPL 2023 campaign. Playing for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he failed to lead the pace attack in the manner he was expected to. In T20Is, meanwhile, he has 13 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 9.1.

Avesh might still be able to step up and contribute to the Men in Blue, but on paper, his selection is debatable.