The Indian team for the Asia Cup T20 may be announced on Tuesday. But it will not be easy for the selectors to pick the team. The place of Indian Test captain Shubman Gill in the team is still under discussion. Rinku Singh’s spot in the 15-member team is also uncertain. However, Rinku has started preparing for the tournament.
Rinku confirmed his place in the team a few years ago. He won a match for Kolkata Knight Riders by hitting 5 consecutive sixes in Yash Dayal’s over and got a place in the Indian team as a finisher. But his performance has declined recently. He did not make it to the Indian team for the T20 World Cup and was on standby. His batting also did not perform well in the IPL. Now, clouds of doubt are looming over his place in the Asia Cup.
No Change in Top 5
If all players are fit and available, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (batsman-keeper), Tilak Verma, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya can get a place in the top 5. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal performed well in the IPL. The selectors will have to think about their place. But if Sanju and Abhishek get a chance, then both Gill and Jaiswal may not be in the same team.
A former national selector told PTI, “People often say someone should be selected, but no one says ‘in whose place’? Shreyas Iyer scored 600 runs at a strike rate of 180, but he bats in the top four. Where will you place him? Even if you include Shubman, he is the best player this season, but where will you leave a gap?”
He added, “You cannot change the top 5 players now, and you cannot choose Shubman easily. If you pick Shubman now, then the Test captain and IPL captain will not sit out. So where will you compromise? I see Rinku’s place as doubtful because some top-order batsmen do not need him much. We are not even talking about Jaiswal.”
Even if the selectors compromise with Rinku, Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma can still play. Both can act as finishers and are all-rounder players. Jitesh can do wicketkeeping, and Dube can also bowl if needed.