Aakash Chopra questions Avesh Khan’s absence from Sri Lanka series

Avesh Khan was one of the travelling reserves in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. He picked up six wickets in three matches in the T20I series against Zimbabwe but after which, he was benched in both the white-ball legs against Sri Lanka. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra raised questions about his absence and inquired about the reason behind dropping him.

The 46-year-old stated that the BCCI was considering investing in him but he was surprised to not see Avesh play in the island nation. The cricketer-turned-commentator also mentioned that he wants to see Prasidh Krishna in the shortest format of the game. He acknowledged that the pacer leaks plenty of runs but believes that he has got the potential to make a mark in T20s.

“It's a good question because the team recently went for the T20 World Cup and Avesh Khan was in the reserves. After that, where is Avesh Khan? If we want to invest in him, Avesh Khan should have been around. He should have been there on the Sri Lanka tour, and he should have played matches in Zimbabwe as well. Where was he — nowhere to be seen,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

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“I personally rate Prasidh Krishna very highly, although his numbers are not looking very good in T20Is. He has been hit a lot whenever he has played, but I would like to invest. He has the potential to be a very good bowler at the highest level also. So they should start investing in him from now itself and there should be a clear roadmap for Avesh Khan as well,” the former India opener added.

Prasidh was part of India’s squad for the ODI World Cup 2023, and later he played a few international games before playing for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. He played just one match in that tournament before getting ruled out. It's not clear when the pacer will make his return, but he remains as one of the future prospects.