Gill, Siraj likely to miss out on Asia Cup squad
The Indian selectors will meet in Mumbai on Tuesday (August 19) to pick the squad for the Asia Cup, and their choices may well defy conventional wisdom and general expectations. Some of the standout performers from the England tour - including Shubman Gill, the star batter, and Mohammed Siraj, the valiant spearhead - could still find it difficult to make the cut.
Gill hammered over 750 runs - second only to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar in terms of aggregate in a series. But the obvious explanation is that those runs came in five-day games and Asia Cup is a short T20I championship. He also compiled a staggering 650 runs in the IPL, but those came as an opener, and the selectors are expected to stick with the current pair of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.
There is always room for a third opener, and Gill's name is certain to come up for discussion, but Yashasvi Jaiswal is a strong contender for the role. One of them is expected to be picked for the September 9-28 championship, with Jaiswal appearing to have the edge. It is possible that neither is selected, but for now Gill seems to be trailing in the race - unless Gautam Gambhir makes a strong pitch for the Test skipper.
The other batters in the squad are likely to be Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh, with one more batting slot still to be decided. Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar are the contenders, but Shreyas Iyer - who led from the front for IPL finalists Punjab Kings - may not be as fortunate. Jitesh Sharma is expected to claim the second wicketkeeper's spot.
Siraj, the highest wicket-taker in the Anderson-Tendulkar series with a spirited performance and currently the toast of the nation, may struggle to find a place, as Jasprit Bumrah - arguably the best bowler in the world - will be entrusted with the job of leading the attack. Spots are expected for Arshdeep Singh and one (or both) of Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana. Hardik Pandya, who bowled the crucial last over in the T20 World Cup, will be the other pacer in the squad. Veteran seamer Mohammed Shami, who was part of the XI in the last T20I that India played (versus England) is unlikely to be considered.
Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi along with vice-captain Axar Patel, will be the designated spinners and a place for Washington Sundar, who was part of the last T20I squad in February, is likely, if not guaranteed.
