2 Players Who Could Have Been Better Replacements For Hardik Pandya 

Hardik Pandya suffered an injury during the group match between India and Pakistan which ruled him out of the Asia Cup. Along with him, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel have also been sidelined due to injuries and are ruled out of the Asia cup. Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, and Siddharth Kaul have been named as the replacements for the injured trio. The selectors decided to go in with 2 frontline bowlers along with the experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for the rest of the Asia Cup.

Deepak Chahar, who debuted for India in the T20I Series in England at the end of the summer, has been selected as the replacement for Hardik Pandya. Chahar is primarily a bowler but has showcased his big-hitting skills in this year's edition of the IPL when he hit the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers all over the park during a cameo he played during the Playoffs. He was also promoted ahead in the batting order by CSK skipper MS Dhoni to score some quick runs on a few occasions. But that does not mean he is a reliable option at the number 7 position for the national team.

He has been selected in the squad as there are no ready-made replacements available for Hardik Pandya as another medium pace all-rounder Vijay Shankar has just returned from a hamstring injury, which he suffered during the 4-day match against West Indies in England and is taking part in the Vijay-Hazare trophy to get some match practice. The selectors should have considered some other multifaceted cricketers for the series as replacements of Hardik Pandya.

2 Players who could have been better replacements are -

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#2 Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda after scoring match-winning runs for his IPL franchise SRH in a match earlier this year

The SRH batting all-rounder has been selected for the Indian team on more than one occasion during the past one year but could not make it to the playing XI. The talented Deepak Hooda has established himself at the domestic level with consistent performances and has been knocking the national team's doors for some time now.

He has a first-class cricket average of 49.64 with a highest score of 293*. He has an impressive career strike rate of 97.67 in List A cricket. He also has fifer to his name in the bowling department. So given his attacking game skills, big hitting ability, and useful off-spinners, he could have been given a go in the tournament as he can be a long-term prospect for India in future. Also with Kedar Jadhav in fine bowling form, Deepak Hooda could have shared the bowling responsibility of completing the fifth bowler quota of 10 overs along with Jadhav.

#1 Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya in action against England Lions for India A earlier this year

The elder Pandya, Krunal Pandya, could have been a perfect replacement for his injured brother Hardik Pandya in the playing XI. Krunal has been under the selector's radar for some time now but could not make it to the squad until now except on one occasion when he was selected as the replacement for injured Washington Sundar for the T20I series in England.

Krunal has been a consistent performer for his franchise Mumbai Indians in the IPL and plays the role of batting all-rounder to perfection. He has been providing finishing touches to their games while batting and bowling economical overs in the mid-phase of the innings.

He should have been tried at number 7 in the absence of Hardik as it could have created a potential replacement option (if Krunal was successful) for the finishers position in the team in case of any injuries during the World Cup next year. He has an astonishing career strike rate of 146.96 in T20 cricket and an economy of 6.7 while bowling, so the selectors should give him a chance sooner rather than later in the national team.