5 players who deserved a place in India's Asia Cup squad

The Asia Cup tournament is set to commence on August 27. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will play against each other in the opening game of the tournament, to be held in UAE.

The Asia Cup will be a T20I event and will provide significant opportunities for the participating nations to assess their preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place Down Under later this year.

Team India will head into the tournament as strong favorites and the defending champions. The Men in Blue recently announced a strong squad for the multi-nation event. Youngsters such as Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan got a spot in the squad.

Howeve, there were a few notable omissions as well. In this article, we will take a look at five players who deserved a place in India's Asia Cup squad.

---

#1. Mohammad Shami

Shami has been excluded from the squad

The exclusion of Mohammad Shami is quite a surprising decision. Jasprit Bumrah will miss the tournament due to an injury. In the absence of Bumrah, it would have been ideal to pair the experienced duo of Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar together.

Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan are the specialist pacers in the squad but they lack experience which may cost India, especially in the death overs. Shami, who took 20 wickets in 16 IPL matches to help Gujarat Titans win their maiden title, has been a dependable bowler for India over the years.

---

#2. Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan only plays ODIs as of now

Dhawan has been on the sidelines for a long time now. It is quite surprising to see that selectors don't consider him in the T20 scheme of things.

A versatile top-order batsman, Dhawan has scored over 9000 runs in 317 T20 matches. He has been India's go-to man in multi-nation events and his omission is quite a shock to everyone.

---

#3. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan is another player who has missed out on a spot in the Indian squad. The selectors' decision has, however, come under scrutiny. Kishan has consistently played T20Is since the IPL and his sudden exclusion has raised many eyebrows.

The 24-years old has scored 430 runs in 14 T20Is this year, with three half-centuries to his name. He was in good touch during the IPL as well, where he scored 418 runs in 14 matches. The left-hander could have been an ideal match for India's new rejuvenated approach to playing T20s.

---

#4. Sanju Samson

Samson has played 16 T20Is for India

Sanju Samson is considered to be one of the most talented batsmen of this generation. He has a prolific record in the IPL as well, amassing over 3500 runs in 138 matches.

Despite this, he has played just four ODIs and 16 T20Is for India. He has mostly been chosen as a replacement player and has never been given a long rope by the selectors.

The right-hander plays an aggressive brand of cricket during the middle overs against both spin and pace. He could have been a better option in the middle order in UAE conditions.

---

#5. Umran Malik

Umran Malik made his T20I debut in 2022

Sensational fast bowler Umran Malik has also missed out on a spot in the squad. He was the find of the IPL 2022 season as his pace kept the batsman on their toes.

He has scalped 22 wickets in 14 IPL matches this season, making his debut soon against Ireland and also playing a match against England. However, the youngster has been on the sidelines since then. The inclusion of an express pace bowler could have been game-changing for a team full of medium pacers.