'Shami should have been in Asia Cup team'

The Board of Control for Cricket in India named a 15 member team for the Asia Cup, which is slated to begin in the UAE later this month.

Among the notable exclusions is star pacer Mohammed Shami.

Many expected Shami to feature in the team for the Asia Cup, and his exclusion was questioned by Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a former chairman of the selection committee.

'In my team, Shami was literally there,' Srikkanth, also a former captain, told the show Follow The Blues on Star Sports. 'If I was the chairman of the selection committee, Shami would have been there and probably, I would not have gone with Ravi Bishnoi.'

'I still believe Axar Patel was a serious contender. It would have been a big toss-up between Axar Patel and Ashwin,' Srikkanth added.

On his YouTube channel, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt argued that Shami was dropped because his previous performances in the UAE have been unimpactful.

'The last time he played in the UAE (during last year's T20 World Cup), he wasn't able to make a significant impact with the new ball. India have opted for players who are more agile in the field and can also contribute with the bat lower down the order,' Butt observed.

'They have a very young pace attack and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the most experienced seamer in their side,' Butt noted. 'I believe they have picked the right squad, considering the conditions in the UAE.'

India selected Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan as the pacers for the Asia Cup while Deepak Chahar remains on the standby list.