3 players who were unfortunate to miss out on the India A squad for the Emerging Asia Cup 2023

The BCCI has announced the India A squad for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023, which will be held in Sri Lanka later this month. The focus is clearly on young players who are in their early 20s, although the rules have been modified to remove the age restriction on selection.

Yash Dhull will captain the side, which features 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) stars Sai Sudharsan, Prabhsimran Singh, Dhruv Jurel and Akash Singh, among others. Standout performers in domestic cricket, including Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Nikin Jose, have also been called up .

India's squad for the Emerging Asia Cup 2023: Sai Sudharsan, Abhishek Sharma (vc), Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Yash Dhull (c), Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.

Standbys: Harsh Dubey, Nehal Wadhera, Snell Patel, Mohit Redkar.

At the same time, however, there were a few players who could have been selected in the squad. We can assume that Tilak Varma, for example, has missed out because he is in line to be called up to their senior side for the West Indies tour. However, some others are not necessarily in the national picture right now.

Here are three players who were unfortunate to miss out on the India A squad for the Emerging Asia Cup 2023.

---

#3 Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi was a surprising exclusion from the India A side

Ravi Bishnoi has arguably already surpassed playing at this level, but he doesn't seem to be in the T20I picture right now. The young leg-spinner last played a T20I in September 2022 and hasn't even been part of the recent squads selected for the shortest format.

It remains to be seen if Bishnoi is picked for the senior tour of West Indies, and if so, it would be understandable why he missed out on the Emerging Asia Cup. If the selectors continue to prefer Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, though, the 22-year-old can feel hard done by.

Bishnoi is on the back of a middling IPL season with the Lucknow Super Giants, who didn't use him very smartly at all. Still arguably the best T20 wrist-spinner in the country, he should playing for the national side irrespective of the level.

---

#2 Shaik Rasheed

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) youngsters Nishant Sindhu and Rajvardhan Hangargekar were picked in the India A squad. However, their teammate at both U19 and franchise level Shaik Rasheed missed out.

Rasheed, who played under Yash Dhull in the 2022 U19 World Cup and impressed all with his airtight technique and classy strokeplay, is definitely one to watch out for. He wasn't at his best for Andhra Pradesh in the recent domestic season and that's perhaps why he missed out, but Dhull, for example, didn't fare much better.

Rasheed is definitely a massive prospect and should be given opportunities to make his mark on a bigger stage. The Emerging Asia Cup would've served as the perfect stepping stone for the 18-year-old.

---

#1 Ayush Badoni

Ayush Badoni is another young player who failed to make the grade for India A despite impressing in domestic cricket and in the IPL. The youngster played a couple of important innings for LSG in IPL 2023 and has shown a willingness to take the game by the scruff of its neck.

Badoni averages 57.75 in first-class cricket, although the sample size is only three games. He has also notched up an unbeaten 91 in just four List A innings. The 23-year-old's T20 record needs no introduction, with eight not-outs and a strike rate of 133.66 in 31 innings.

Badoni also bowls some part-time off-spin and could've been a valuable addition to the India A side for the Emerging Asia Cup.