3 players who were lucky to be picked in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2023

Team India announced their 17-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 on Monday, August 17. Captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar held a press conference following the reveal as well.

The duo outlined the team management's intentions behind picking such a squad and placed emphasis on having a defined structure while also ensuring a certain degree of flexibility.

India's squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna.

Most of the selections can't be disputed, with India going with a near-strongest contingent while also being open to the necessary changes. At the same time, though, there are a few names who sneaked in even though there are cases to be made against their inclusion.

Here are three players who were lucky to be picked in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2023.

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#3 Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma is still very new to international cricket

At face value, Tilak Varma's selection is immensely exciting. The southpaw has a List A average of 56.18 to go with his impressive strike rate of 101.64 and made an immediate impression in his maiden international series in the Caribbean.

With India needing a left-hander who can bowl a few overs in the middle order, Tilak has been named in the Asia Cup squad even though he hasn't received his maiden ODI cap yet.

Players like Sanju Samson, who have done well in ODI cricket recently, have been excluded to accommodate Tilak, who has notched up successive failures in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland. He has been found wanting against hard lengths and also struggled with injuries during the last domestic season and Indian Premier League.

While it's hard to argue with the fact that Tilak could be solution to India's problems, it's also safe to say that his inclusion isn't down to anything concrete.

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#2 Mohammad Shami

India v England - ICC Men's T20 World Cup: Semi Final

Mohammad Shami has played only one international game since the conclusion of the 2023 Indian Premier League - the World Test Championship final against Australia. The fast bowler has been rested for many months now but now finds himself in the mix for the Asia Cup.

Does Shami deserve a spot in the squad? In eight ODIs in 2023, he has registered just 10 scalps at an average of 30.00 and an economy rate of 5.66. His averages over the last two calendar years he has played for the national side don't make for pretty reading either (29.25 in four ODIs in 2022 and 32.75 over six ODIs in 2020).

Shami is world-class on his day, but he hasn't been consistent enough lately. With more exciting options like Prasidh Krishna coming through the ranks, the veteran should consider himself fortunate to still have the unwavering faith of the selectors.

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#1 Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav's ODI numbers are nothing short of abysmal

Suryakumar Yadav has himself admitted that his ODI numbers are terrible, and why wouldn't he? The batter has recorded 511 runs in 26 matches at an average of 24.33, with only two half-centuries to his name.

More importantly, Suryakumar's ODI form has only gone from bad to worse since his debut in the format in 2021. This year, he has managed 127 runs in 10 matches at an average of 14.11, with 35 being his best effort.

The team management clearly believes that Suryakumar has the ability to set his ODI record straight. However, it would've been hard to fault them had they decided to abandon the experiment.

The numbers simply don't suggest that SKY should be in the ODI picture right now, although he certainly has the potential to come into his own.