3 Indian players who will be keen to make an impression in Zimbabwe after being ignored for Asia Cup

The Indian cricket team is currently in Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series, which will be played in Harare from August 18 to 22. The Men in Blue are being led by KL Rahul, who is making his comeback to international cricket after an injury layoff. Veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, who led the ODI side to a 3-0 triumph against the West Indies, will be Rahul’s deputy.

Team India have not sent a full-strength white ball squad to Zimbabwe since the main players have to prepare for the Asia Cup in the UAE, which begins from August 27. A number of cricketers who have done reasonably well in white-ball cricket for India in recent times find themselves in the squad against Zimbabwe, but not in the Asia Cup team.

Out of the squad that is present in Zimbabwe, only Rahul, Deepak Hooda and Avesh Khan have been picked for the Asia Cup T20 tournament.

Let’s look at three players who will be keen to make an impact in Zimbabwe after being snubbed for the Asia Cup.

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#1 Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan will be keen to make an impact in Zimbabwe. Pic: Getty Images

With Rahul making a comeback in international cricket, the selectors have decided to leave out young opener Ishan Kishan from the Asia Cup squad. The decision is debatable since the left-handed batter is the team’s second-leading run-getter in T20Is in 2022.

In 14 T20Is, he has smashed 430 runs at an average of 30.71 and a strike rate of 130.30 with three half-centuries and a highest of 89. Only Shreyas Iyer (449 runs from 14 games) has scored more runs than Kishan for India in T20Is this year. Shreyas himself has been picked as a standby for the Asia Cup.

Speaking of Kishan, the southpaw played only one T20I each against England and West Indies, scoring eight and 11, respectively. However, he was in terrific form during the home series against South Africa, notching up two fifties in five matches.

Despite his Asia Cup snub, Kishan remained positive and told ANI in a recent interview:

"I feel that what selectors do is fair. They put a lot of thought while selecting players as to who should be given the opportunity and where. It is a positive for me because if I am not selected, I will work harder and score more runs. When selectors will have confidence in me, they will obviously keep me in the team.”

Having made an assertive statement, the youngster will now be keen to walk the talk in Zimbabwe.

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#2 Sanju Samson

There is no place for Sanju Samson in India’s Asia Cup squad. Pic: Getty Images

Until recently, Sanju Samson was in the line of fire for his inability to capitalize on his opportunities at the international level. Despite his impressive showing in recent times, he did not find a place in the Asia Cup squad. The selectors picked Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik as the two keeper-batters.

Samson made a significant contribution during the second T20I against Ireland in Dublin, smashing 77 in 42 balls. The 27-year-old continued his good run with the willow against the West Indies as well. He scored a crucial 54 in the second ODI during India’s chase of 312. The gloveman from Kerala played another mature hand of 30* in the fourth T20I in Lauderhill.

There was some criticism on social media over the decision to omit Samson from the Asia Cup squad. Meanwhile, former India spinner Maninder Singh has named Samson as his first-choice keeper for the Zimbabwe series. In a select media interaction organized by Sony Sports Network recently, he commented:

“Difficult choice because both these players (Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan) are brilliant players and it’s not going to be easy for the coach and the captain to pick the first choice-wicketkeeper. I am very very impressed with Sanju Samson because he has got a lot of time. When he plays on the backfoot, you can make out that the batsman has a lot of time.”

With some time still left for the T20 World Cup in Australia, Samson will be keen to grab his chances in Zimbabwe if they come his way and add to selectors’ dilemma.

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#3 Shardul Thakur

Team India all-rounder Shardul Thakur (left) with Virat Kohli. Pic: Getty Images

All-rounder Shardul Thakur seems to have fallen behind in the pecking order when it comes to T20 cricket. It all began with his poor performance at the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. He headed into the event on a high, having played a significant role in Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) IPL 2021 triumph. However, he has not been the same player since the conclusion of the T20 league last season.

Thakur has played only one T20I match for India since the conclusion of the World Cup last year, which was against West Indies in Kolkata in February this year. He registered decent figures of two for 33. However, an underpar IPL 2022 campaign for Delhi Capitals (DC) has seen him slip off the radar a little bit. Turning out for his new franchise, he claimed 15 scalps in 14 matches at an economy rate of 9.79. With the bat, he scored 120 runs with a best of 29*.

Despite his disappointing performances, the thing with Thakur is that you cannot give up on him. He has that rare ability to turn things around out of the blue. Hardik Pandya’s spectacular return has significantly reduced Thakur’s chances of making the T20 World Cup squad. Having said that, write Thakur off at your own peril.

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