Samson could've been picked ahead of Tilak Varma or Suryakumar: Chopra reviews India's Asia Cup squad

On Monday (August 21), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India's 17-man squad for the Asia Cup. Itcomprises several star players and also sees the return of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. However, Yuzvendra Chahal was a notable omission whereas Sanju Samson also failed to make it to the final squad but will travel as a reserve player. While Samson failed to make the cut, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma,uncapped in ODIs, are part of the squad. Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reviewed the squad selection and feels Samson could have been included in the final 17.

'Sanju Samson and hisfansmight consider themselves slightly unlucky'

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, "The first big news is that Sanju Samson's name is not there. In whose place could his name have come? He would have come in place of either Tilak or Surya. He could have become a part of the 17 in place of either of them. Sanju Samson's fans and Sanju Samson himself might consider themselves slightly unlucky because his performances are good in ODIs as of now as well. He has an average of over 50 and he scored a fifty in the West Indies also. There is no doubt that he plays well. He has a little work experience as well."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

On the other hand, Chopra opined on Suryakumar and said, "Suryakumar Yadav's story in ODI cricket has not been good. We all know that he is a very good player and we also want his ODI career to flourish but the truth is that he hasn't been able to understand the ODI template thus far. The problem is that you have very little time. " He added, "To be very honest, my initial thought was that if a wicketkeeper has to play in the middle order, Sanju Samson is definitely the second option after KL Rahul. However, if a place can be created as an opener, then Ishan Kishan, without a shadow of a doubt, is your second wicketkeeper."

Backing Chopra's claims, Samson has done reasonably well in the ODI format. The right-hander has 390 runs in 13 ODIs at an average of55.71 and a strike rate of104.00 along with three half-centuries. His T20I numbers aren't impressive but Samson has done well in ODIs. Meanwhile, Surya has struggled in the 50-over format, managing 511 runs in 26 ODIs at an average of 24.33. Varma, on the other hand, is yet to make his debut in the format. He got picked in the final 17 on the basis of a promising start to his international cricket career during India-West Indies T20Is, in West Indies and USA.

India open their campaign in the Asia Cup, which commences on August 30, versus arch-rivals Pakistan on September 02 in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. The tournament will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue are placed in Group A along with Babar Azam-led Men in Green and Nepal.

India squad for Asia Cup 2023

Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Prasidh Krishna

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.