Lakshmipathy Balaji Shares His Opinion On The Inclusion Of Deepak Chahar In The Asia Cup Squad

Both India and Pakistan are gearing up for the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup. The tournament is going to start in UAE on 27 August 2022. However, both these teams will be in action against each other on 28 August 2022. Both teams announced their squad earlier. But, both of them dealt with a major blow regarding their prime fast bowler. 

India will miss the service of Jasprit Bumrah for his back issues. On the other side, Pakistan will miss Shaheen Afridi due to his knee injury. Now, Deepak Chahar made a comeback to the team during the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe. The selectors also kept him as a backup for the Asia Cup. Now, former India fast-bowler, Lakshmipathy Balaji revealed his view regarding the inclusion of Deepak Chahar in the Asia Cup squad.

“If Chahar gives you those early wickets, you have to look at him as a first-choice.” – Lakhsmipathy Balaji

Lakshmipathy Balaji said that if he provides you with early breakthroughs, then Deepak Chahar should be the first-choice bowler in the line-up. He said: “If Chahar gives you those early wickets, you have to look at him as a first-choice. But, there are a lot of bowlers and there is a lot of competition. You want wicket-taking bowlers with the new ball. If Bumrah and Shami are not available, Chahar is the one who provides that,”

Before the start of the Zimbabwe series, a member of the selection committee said they can think of him if he continues to perform with such rhythm. He said: “Obviously, you could not have straight away selected him for the Asia Cup when he is returning from injury. We have an option to change a player before the tournament. We are keeping a close eye. If he does well and gets his rhythm back, we will give it a thought,”

Speaking of his comeback, Deepak Chahar made a comeback to the Indian team after a long gap due to injuries. However, he had a great first match of the series. But, in the last or third match of the series, he conceded a good amount of runs.