IND vs ZIM 2022: 3 shock absentees from the India squad

The squad for India's tour of Zimbabwe saw some notable absentees that came as a bit of a surprise.

While it was a no-brainer that the big guns would sit this one out in order to be well-rested for a jam-packed last five months of 2022, some promising names missing out was a topic of discussion on social media.

Here's a quick look at India's squad for the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe starting August 18:

Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar.

Ahead of the series, we take a look at some of the key names that missed out and why it was better to have them in the squad.

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#1 Suryakumar Yadav

The lean ODI run against England and West Indies might have prompted the selectors to sideline Suryakumar Yadav from the squad that tours Zimbabwe.

His last five innings in ODI went on without a half-century, and his manner of dismissals also saw the Mumbai batter garner some flak on social media. However, his omission comes as a shocker considering he's a proven matchwinner on any given day.

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#2 Dinesh Karthik, India's comeback man in T20Is

What more does Dinesh Karthik have to do to probably earn an ODI call-up? His recent T20I exploits suggest that he has the game and the temperament to play the long format and will be a valuable addition as the World Cups draw closer.

Karthik in the squad might mean India playing an extra batter, but he adds value by being one of the more bankable players in the team should the top order stumble.

With a second-string squad touring Zimbabwe, it might have been a good call to have Karthik in the squad.

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#3 Virat Kohli

He may have been out of form, and this might have been a tournament that would have seen the likes of Virat Kohli roar back to form. With the Asia Cup and a string of games against Australia and South Africa prior to the T20 World Cup, it would have been good to see Kohli get a few games under his belt.

With the talismanic bat being thrown in high-octane games against some of the more formidable Asian teams in the Asia Cup, it would have helped if Kohli had suited up for India in Harare for a bit of gametime.