Harshal Patel is set to miss the Asia Cup 2022 and is also doubtful about his participation in the T20 World Cup. The Indian pacer is a specialist in the variety and deception in bowling.
Harshal Patel is sidelined to miss the Asia Cup 2022 and is also doubtful of his participation in the T20 World Cup. The Indian pacer is a specialist for the variety and deception in bowling is suffering from a side strain and could be left out of consideration.
The squad for the Indian side will be announced on August 8. The 31-year-old is currently in the US for the five-match T20I series against West Indies but has not featured in the first three games.
He will miss the remaining two games, one of which is expected to start in Florida on Saturday, August 6. The side strain could risk his participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup scheduled in October-November in Australia as the injury needs a rest and rehab of a minimum of four to six weeks.
His World Cup chances depend on how fast he recovers and on his return from the US; he will be asked to join the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Harshal has played 17 T20Is since he made his debut in November last year but has not played cricket since July 10, when India played against England at Nottingham.
Harshal’s unavailability could make some room for Deepak Chahar who has been sidelined following a hamstring injury since February but was picked for the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe later this month.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are also set to be back in the mix for Asia Cup 2022. Both the players have missed the West Indies series for different reasons. Rahul was hit by Covid-19 and Kohli opted out of the series.
A lot will be dependent on the coach Rahul Dravid and the skipper Rohit Sharma, whom the selectors will speak to after the conclusion of the matches in the US. The Asia Cup will be held in UAE from August 27 to September 11.
| July 29, 2022 | West Indies vs India 1st T20I | Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad | 8 PM |
| Aug 1, 2022 | West Indies vs India 2nd T20I | Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts | 8 PM |
| Aug 2, 2022 | West Indies vs India 3rd T20I | Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts | 8 PM |
| Aug 6, 2022 | West Indies vs India 4th T20I | Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida | 8 PM |
| Aug 7, 2022 | West Indies vs India 5th T20I | Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida | 8 PM |
India T20I Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh