The BCCI took many by surprise with two back-to-back announcements of Team India's squads for the Asian Games for both men's and women's teams on Friday, July 14. Both squads had a few surprises, the men's team in particular, since none of the first-choice players were picked for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
With the Asian Games clashing with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India later this year, all the youngsters who shone in the IPL not just in the 2023 edition over the course of the last 2-3 years, earned a call-up. While it was the first time for the likes of Rinku Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Mavi returned to the national team after good showing not just in the IPL but in domestic cricket as well.
Rahul Tripathi was another name, who earned a recall despite a poor IPL. Tripathi wasn't named in the squad to face the West Indies in the five T20Is but has an opportunity to get back in the reckoning as he is set to play at No. 3. Commending the selectors for continuity, former India opener Aakash Chopra said that it's correct call to invest in Tripathi as he has played for India before and one poor season shouldn't pull down what he has done in previous few editions.
Speaking on his Youtube channel, Chopra said, "Rahul Tripathi isn’t part of the West Indies tour. Despite an ordinary IPL 2023, it’s right to continue investing in him because he has played for India before. You cannot forget him after just one ordinary show. The right thing has been done."
However, Chopra like everyone else was perplexed by the time of the announcement of the squads and the absence of reasoning from selectors for the selection or non-selection of players either in the release or no interaction with the press.
“This is quite interesting and I don’t know the answer why it happens. Why the team is announced at 11 in the night? Selectors can meet in the morning, it can be done by the evening.
“And there’s another formula that has been started: selectors don’t interact with the press. You’ve announced the team and now nobody can question you the reason behind the selection or non-selection of players, what your thought process is," Chopra further said.
The Indian team is currently in the West Indies for a month-long tour which will be followed by a three-match T20I series against Ireland for which the squad is still to be announced and everyone is hoping that it is done sometime in the day.
