Asia Cup 2022: 3 pacers India could've tried instead of Avesh Khan

The Avesh Khan experiment seems to have come to an end, at least temporarily, for Team India in the 2022 Asia Cup. The young pacer, who has had a miserable start to the tournament, has come down with a fever and is set to miss the team's second meeting against Pakistan on Sunday. September 4.

Avesh's selection in the Asia Cup squad raised a few eyebrows. He was in disappointing form in white-ball cricket in the lead-up to the tournament and had leaked runs at the death. His selection was more surprising considering the fact that India have only two other fast bowlers in the squad - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh.

Several promising pacers like Prasidh Krishna and Umran Malik have been tried out by India in white-ball cricket of late. Other veterans have been making their mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL), showing that there's a good crop of quicks waiting for their chance to don national colors again.

In the aftermath of Avesh's poor performances in the Asia Cup, we take a look at three pacers India could've tried instead of the 25-year-old.

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#3 Shardul Thakur

India v England - 3rd One Day International

Shardul Thakur has played only one T20I in 2022, scalping two wickets against the West Indies. While he isn't really in the shortest-format picture for India right now, his batting ability and tendency to pick up wickets could've helped the Men in Blue in the Asia Cup.

Thakur registered consecutive three-wicket hauls against England last year, and although he went for runs, he claimed big scalps in key stages of the innings. His five innings in the format read 22*, 20, 17*, 10* and 0, showing that he generally contributes with the bat when he gets an opportunity.

Thakur isn't the most reliable option in T20I cricket but could've offered more than Avesh has this year. At the very least, India wouldn't have a long tail comprising Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar, Avesh and Arshdeep if Thakur was in the picture.

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#2 Deepak Chahar

India v New Zealand - T20 International

Part of the reserves for the Asia Cup, Deepak Chahar only recently recovered from injury. He took part in the Zimbabwe ODI series, and it would've been a massive risk from the selectors to name him in the squad without seeing how he fared on his return. There are also question marks over whether the pacer will be effective in Australia, where the pitches may not suit his style.

But if the selectors saw fit to name him in the reserves, where he's the only fast bowler, couldn't they have placed a little more faith in him? Like Thakur, Chahar would've offered batting depth and allowed India to adopt a more aggressive approach at the top of the order. He would've also been a potent new-ball threat, with both Bhuvneshwar and Arshdeep being capable of succeeding in the middle and death overs.

Chahar's T20I record doesn't make for good reading, but the selectors clearly trust him enough for him to be in the mix. Had he been part of the main squad, he could've produced better results than Avesh. The 30-year-old would've offered a different dimension to the Indian team, one that they might need when Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel return.

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#1 Mohammad Shami

England v India - 3rd Royal London Series One Day International

After picking up 20 wickets in the 2022 Indian Premier League for the title-winning Gujarat Titans (GT), Mohammad Shami seemed set for a T20I recall. The experienced pacer has played only a handful of games in the format, but was picked for the 2021 T20 World Cup and seems to have carved a niche for himself as a T20 bowler.

Lethal with the new ball and useful at other stages of the innings, Shami could have helped India immensely in the Asia Cup. If a hit-the-deck bowler was what the selectors were after when they picked Avesh, the 32-year-old could have performed that role effectively.

India are still looking for pacers to complete their T20 World Cup squad, so Shami is not out of the picture yet. But like last year, he'll be thrust into the marquee ICC event without a chance to get used to T20I cricket. He could've been tried in the Asia Cup ahead of Avesh.

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