With Jasprit Bumrah out due to injury, opportunity for Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh

With pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out with a back injury and Mohammed Shami not considered for selection, it is a good opportunity for young guns Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh to showcase their skills in the Asia Cup T20 tournament

Bumrah, who last played in the ODI away series against England before being rested in the series against West Indies, was ruled out with a back injury that would take some time to heal.


"He is our main bowler and we would like him to be back in action before the T20 World Cup. WE can't risk him in the Asia Cup and the injury could aggravate," PTI quoted an unnamed senior BCCI official as saying.

Reports said the back issue will keep Bumrah out for some time and that he would need to undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy before being considered for the upcoming white-ball home series against Australia and South Africa.

However, this could be a good opportunity for young pacers Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh to stake claim for a slot in the team for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. India's attack will led by the seasoned Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, with Hardik Pandya, who has grown in stature as a bowler, being the other pace bowling option

Arshdeep Singh, who made his debut during the tour of England, has left a big impression in the six matches he played so far, picking up 15 wickets at an economy of 6.33, and coming up with sharp yorkers in the death overs.

Avesh Khan has picked up 11 wickets from 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.67, and he will be watched with interest ahead of the series Down Under because of his ability to extract pace and bounce.

Harshal Patel was also not available for selection for the Asia Cup team due to an injury. This edition of the Asia Cup will be played in T20 format because of the upcoming T20 World Cup.

India seek to defend their title in the Asia Cup, which will be played from Aug. 27 to Sept. 11 in the UAE. They will open their campaign with a Group A clash against Pakistan.

India's squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.