Asia Cup 2018: Sourav Ganguly is surprised over non-selection of a youngster

Team India is all set to start their Asia Cup campaign with a game against Hong Kong on Tuesday. The tournament is crucial for them in order to get their team, especially the middle-order settled ahead of the World Cup. Moreover, the absence of Virat Kohli might also hurt them going forward in the competition. However, the former India captain Sourav Ganguly is surprised to not see Rishabh Pant in the squad who impressed in England.

Pant made his debut in the whites in the third Test against England following Dinesh Karthik’s failure and got off the mark with a flamboyant six off Adil Rashid. After struggling to make a mark in the next couple of innings, he signed off with a magnificent century in the final Test when the team was chasing an improbable 464 to win the game. His knock was filled with full of aggression which proved that the youngster is ready to play the 50-overs format as well.

I am sure he is ready

Sourav Ganguly understood the fact the selectors had picked the squad for the Asia Cup before Rishabh Pant scored a ton and until then he had fared pretty poorly to stake his claim. Though Ganguly feels that the 20-year-old is ready to set the stage on fire and should be given an opportunity ahead of the mega event next year.

“I am surprised to see no Pant in the squad. The Asia Cup squad was selected before his Oval hundred and the way he batted in his last innings, I am sure he is ready for the ODI format as well,” he wrote in his column for the Times of India. He also believed that it will be an important tournament for MS Dhoni who struggled to make a mark in England.

“It will be an important series for Dhoni. It seemed like he had lost his way in the ODIs in England and it will be important for him to show the selectors that he still has it in him to keep the scoreboard moving at a good pace. There’s been a lot of talk about him getting stuck in ODI cricket and it will be important for him to reignite his hitting skills,” Ganguly further wrote.

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