3 major weaknesses in India's Asia Cup 2023 Squad

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar announced a 17-man squad for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup on Monday, August 21.

The side has the likes of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna making their way back from injury layoffs into the ODI squad. Another major headline is the non-inclusion of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, with Kuldeep Yadav being preferred over him.

Suryakumar Yadav made his way into the squad despite his horrendous showing in the ODI format, while Sanju Samson has been kept as a backup option. Suryakumar's Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Tilak Varma has been included on the back of an impressive showing in the recent T20Is against the West Indies.

The rest of the squad is on expected grounds as the Men in Blue head into a crucial three months of 50-over cricket, including the Asia Cup and the World Cup. Rohit Sharma will captain the side, with Hardik Pandya being his deputy.

While the squad appears strong on paper, there are some eye-popping chinks that may get exposed against strong opposition at the most inopportune time. Let us look at three significant weaknesses in India's Asia Cup 2023 squad.

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#1 Lack of a wrist spinner and an off-spinner in India's squad

Rohit Sharma and Co. may rue not including Chahal and Ashwin in their Asia Cup squad.

Team India have a big question mark in their spin bowling department, which boasts the lone wrist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav and no specialist off-spinner.

Kuldeep's sensational form in the 50-over format has made him the first-choice spinner ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal this year. The left-arm leg-spinner has played 11 ODIs this year and picked up 22 wickets at an impressive average of 17.18.

Meanwhile, Chahal has played in just two ODI games for India in 2023 and has been left out of the Asia Cup squad following an inconsistent series against the West Indies.

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, popularly known as 'Kulcha' together, have played together in only a lone ODI game this year against New Zealand in Indore.

It is noteworthy that India's success in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup and during the competition hinged predominantly on the duo spinning a web and picking up timely wickets in the middle overs.

With the Asia Cup and the following World Cup set to be played on subcontinent pitches, the lack of a second wrist spinner raises eyebrows.

Further adding to the dilemma is the lack of a specialist off-spinner in the Indian squad. With the teams in this era being big on match-ups, the off-spinner to a left-hander is among the most favorable ones.

However, barring a few part-time options, the Men in Blue have no full-time off-spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin.

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#2 Batting depth vs choosing the best bowlers

India may be forced to leave out Mohammad Siraj purely for batting depth.

Another major bugaboo in the Indian squad is the lack of batting ability in their four best bowlers. The issue plagued them in the recently concluded T20 series loss against the West Indies.

While Shardul Thakur is the only pacer with proven batting capabilities, he is not always a guaranteed 10-over bowler. Thakur has picked up wickets aplenty but has often been on the expensive side with the ball, with an ODI economy rate of 6.16 runs per over.

The 31-year-old has never completed his full quota of 10 overs in any of his seven ODIs in 2023. However, his lower-order ball striking and batting prowess makes him indispensable at the No.8 position.

This could result in one of their best pacers - Mohammad Siraj or Mohammad Shami being left out of the playing XI, considering the almost assured selection of Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah.

Siraj has been a revelation for India in ODIs, with 43 wickets in 23 matches at an average of 19 since 2022.

The absence of someone like Chris Woakes or Pat Cummins, that fits the bill as one of the first-choice bowlers, and a capable batter being absent in the Indian squad could lead to a selection headache.

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#3 Several players returning to action after injury layoffs

Several players are returning after a long layoff could hamper their performances.

The return of several of Team India's ODI pillars returning from long injury layoffs straight into high-pressure matches in the Asia Cup and World Cup could be a worrying sign.

While there is no questioning the pedigree of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Prasidh Krishna, each went through a gruesome recovery process to be fit again.

Bumrah last played in a high-level game against Australia in a T20I at home in September last year before a back injury forced him out of action. Despite the champion pacer looking as solid as ever on his return against Ireland in the ongoing T20 series, the 50-over format is more demanding on the body.

Meanwhile, Iyer and Rahul have been missing in action since early this year with back and thigh injuries, respectively. They will be playing their first competitive game right away at the Asia Cup, with no knowledge of their form or ability to get through the grind of high-level matches day in and day out.

Although Prasidh Krishna may not feature in the starting laying XI, he has been out with a stress fracture since last year and returned only in the ongoing Ireland series.

With so many of India's vital cogs short of match practice, the side would hope they do not lack form or pull up sore at such a crucial juncture of the year.