“If I was Chairman of selection committee…”: Ex-selector Srikkanth unhappy over Shami's exclusion from Asia Cup squad

Kolkata: Former India captain and ex-chairman of selection committee Krishnamachari Srikkanth feels pacer Mohammed Shami should have been part of the Team India squad for the Asia Cup 2022.

“In my team, Shami was literally there. If I was the Chairman of the selection committee, I think Shami would have been there and probably, I would not have gone with Ravi Bishnoi. But I still believe that Axar Patel was a serious contender in my team. It would have been a big toss-up between Axar Patel and Ashwin,” he said.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’, Srikkanth said, “I think the squad is pretty good but I think we would need one more medium pacer. We are going with one medium pacer short. Two wrist spinners is fine. I feel bad for Axar Patel, who has missed out. I am very happy for Deepak Hooda – he can bowl a bit, he’s a good hitter and he’s a good striker of the ball.”

“What I like about Deepak Hooda is that he’s a good striker of the ball, he’s a flirter. Otherwise, this squad is a fantastic squad, only feel bad for Axar Patel. I still believe that he’s a good bowling all-rounder, may be in Australia conditions. I am not going for just the Asia Cup, but yes, this must be a blue print for the ICC T20 World Cup also,” he said.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’, former India wicketkeeper and ex-chief selector Kiran More said, “This will definitely be special for Virat Kohli since he now needs to make a comeback, it’s been too many innings. The other batsmen also have been performing really well. Overall, the squad looks good, well balanced. There are good all-rounders too – R Ashwin has been batting well. Definitely, Axar Patel has been performing well through the year too."

“I like the team combination and I was really happy with Ravi Bishnoi’s selection. It brought a variation to the team. According to me, this is a good team. I’m also happy for Arshdeep Singh. He has been performing well in the IPL, against West Indies, where he was the Player of the Series and bowled well. We were in search of a left-arm bowler, who we have found in Arshdeep Singh,” he added. (UNI)