The curious case of Avesh Khan. The pacer from Madhya Pradesh has been dropped from the India Test squad, unbeknownst. The 27-year-old had been part of the India cricket team squad for the last Test in South Africa and the India vs England 1st Test but has found himself under the axe despite making no mistakes.
Avesh Khan was initially added to India’s squad off the back of their white-ball performance in South Africa. The pacer couldn’t find a spot in the XI against the Proteas, with Prasidh Krishna getting the nod ahead of him. However, with Prasidh, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Shami out, the right-arm pacer thought he had a chance.
He traveled with the team to Hyderabad but didn’t make the cut due to a spin-friendly pitch. After the match, he was let go to play in the Ranji Trophy, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh present in the squad.
However, now not only has Mohammed Siraj returned, but Akash Deep has replaced Avesh Khan despite being nowhere in the reckoning. The pacer went from being one step away from making his Test debut to not even being in the squad.
This sudden downgrade has left many, including the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) chairman of the senior selection committee, Anoop Sabnis, perplexed.
“He was in India Test squad. He hasn’t been picked in the squad for last three Tests?” Sabnis questioned.
“Both Avesh and Rajat Patidar were with us here in Indore. They were practicing and training and we thought Avesh would also be in the squad. As far as I knew, he was very much in India mix,” Sabnis further added.
Akash Deep over Avesh Khan justified?
Both Avesh Khan and Akash Deep have similar records. The pacer from Mandya Pradesh has more experience than Akash in domestic cricket and has represented India in ODI and T20I cricket. However, his performance in the last few first-class matches hasn’t been up to the mark.
Meanwhile, Akash is on a great run. He was India A’s highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded 3-match series against the England Lions on flat Indian pitches and therefore was selected based on current form.
Despite Avesh going through a rough patch, his getting replaced despite no failures isn’t a great look for the Indian management. Instead of trusting the process, it seems like Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma may have jumped the gun and dropped a potential all-format bowler.
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