Harshal Patel has been reportedly ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup tournament. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah recently announced the schedule for the Asia Cup which will take place in the United Arab Emirates. The event will get underway on August 27 and end on September 11.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and a qualifier will play in the Asia Cup this year. Fans expect India to win their third consecutive Asia Cup trophy, but it seems like they will have to play without their star pace bowler Harshal Patel.
According to a recent report by Cricbuzz, Patel has a side strain, which is why he may not be considered for selection when the BCCI picks the Asia Cup squad on August 8. The report claims that Patel will also miss the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies cricket team in the United States of America.
“He is set to miss the remaining two games, one of which starts in Florida later on Saturday, August 6. The side strain also puts him at risk of missing out on the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in October-November as the injury needs four to six weeks of rest and rehab,” Cricbuzz reported.
Who will replace Harshal Patel in the Indian squad for Asia Cup?
Patel is one of the top wicket-taking bowlers in India, which is why his absence will hurt the team a lot. However, the selectors have a lot of pace-bowling options available. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah have done well in white-ball cricket of late.
Deepak Chahar has recovered from his injury and could make a comeback to the squad. Even someone like Umran Malik, Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan could receive a chance to cement their place in the playing XI. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
