2 players who missed on a spot in India's Asia Cup squad

Much before the start of Day 3 of an all-important Test match at The Ageas Bowl, Indian selectors announced a 16-member squad for the forthcoming Asia Cup, beginning September 15.

The announcement of the squad came in with a lot of surprises with Virat Kohli being rested from the squad. In Kohli's absence, Rohit Sharma will lead the side with Shikhar Dhawan appointed as his deputy. A lot of in-form players who performed well in the domestic circuit, were awarded with a spot in the much-anticipated Asia Cup squad.

However, there were few deserving players who missed out on the spot in the squad and might have missed the bus for their inclusion in India's World Cup campaign next year.

We take a look at 2 players who could have been included in the Asia Cup squad.

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#2 Rishabh Pant

The explosive left-handed wicket-keeper batsman deserved a chance in the squad after his exploits in the last IPL season and consistent performances for India A. On the back of his recent outings with the bat, he was given a maiden Test call-up in India's Test squad against England. The flamboyant batsman was seen as the future of Indian cricket after India's declining stocks in wicket-keeping.

Pant has impressed one and all and would have hoped to feature in the Asia Cup squad. In his latest appearance in the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge, he had a good time behind the wickets picking up most catches for a debutant. This is just the beginning of his career, and he would want to carry on with a string of consistent performances to eventually find a spot in India's scheme of things in each format.

#1 Mayank Agarwal

There was no doubt that the Karnataka-lad has been in prime form ever since November last year. He was among the top leading run scorers in Ranji Trophy for Karnataka and even continued his rich vein of form in the subsequent tournaments. However, after a dream run in the domestic circuit, he was included in the India A, taking it as the stepping stone to knock the doors for selection in the Indian team.

The 27-year old attacking batsman did justice to his inclusion in the India A squad and fared well in the Quadrangular series as well as in the 4-day games in the Tri-series in England. He was among India's leading run-scorer on both the occasions. It is quite peculiar to see why he is not getting a deservedly go in the Indian limited overs setup. He might want to do something out of the box but scoring runs is all what the youngster can do. He would hope that there is a slot for him sometime soon in India's top order.