Chahal is one of the biggest omissions from Asia Cup: Hayden

The release of the Indian roster for the Asia Cup has raised several issues about all of the selections. The most notable absence from the squad is seasoned spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who has yet again missed the bus for a multi-nation event.

While announcing the squad, Ajit Agarkar stated how difficult it is to fit two wrist spinners in the setup and how Kuldeep Yadav is ahead of Chahal in the pecking order.

Former Australian Matthew Hayden, on the other hand, believes that there have been some significant absences in the Indian squad, with Chahal being one of them.

Hayden went on to say that the leg-spinner is a fantastic player and that the omission would have been difficult for the selectors to make.

"There are some big omissions. Chahal, in particular, that leg-spinner, is such a superb player and (it) must be tough for the selectors because they've also got another one in Kuldeep (Yadav).... he's a superb player. So, they've gone for that as an option,"

said Hayden as quoted by India Today.

Tilak Varma received his first ODI call-up for the Asia Cup in an unexpected turn of events, following his masterclass in West Indies T20Is. 

Hayden explained the decision, calling it a prudent move in light of the T20 World Cup in 2024. Varma concluded the West Indies tour (T20Is) as India's leading run-scorer, with 173 runs.

"In the lead-up to World Cups, you're always going to have some players and we've seen the class of Tilak Varma. I think it's a good strategy in terms of not just this World Cup but even potentially getting into the next World Cup (T20 World Cup 2024) as well,"

he said.

With the likes of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah returning to the squad, India will be expected to perform at their best in the next Asia Cup.

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