'Reputation over form again?' - Fans lash out over absence of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan from Asia Cup squad

The BCCI has announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup starting on the 27th of August and there have been quite a few surprises for the fans. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli returned to the squad, while Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel stood has been ruled out of the multi-nation tournament due to injuries. Rohit Sharma will lead the side in his first major assignment as full-time captain of India while Rahul will be his deputy.

While most of the names did not bring a surprise, the axing of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan left the fans quite disappointed. Samson had a decent tour of the West Indies and has been in excellent form in the recent times. With his ability to clear the ropes at ease, Samson has plenty of fans and it was evident in the way he received a big roar in Florida.

Regarded as a special talent, Samson did not have the best of starts to his international career. However, he has managed to redeem himself in the international circuit and the 27-year-old has left experts in awe from time to time with breath-taking knocks.

Another notable exclusion from the squad has been Ishan Kishan who was India’s backup opener in the T20 World Cup 2021. He was given a long rope at the top of the order until the away series against Ireland in June. However, since then he has been barely in the playing XI.

The left-hander, however, has been quite consistent, with 543 runs in 19 T20Is at an average of 30.16 and a strike rate of 131.15. The 24-year-old has had to face the axe as India have two wicketkeepers in the form of Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik in the squad already. No wonder, the fans were quite disappointed with Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan missing out from the squad.

India’s squad for Asia Cup

India’s squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt ), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.

Standbys – Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Deepak Chahar.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to Samson and Kishan’s absence

'You can't stop watching Sanju Samson because he bats so beautifully' #SanjuSamson #sanju #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/mPzCv2jyJ7

— madan Parmar Nimboda (@MParmars) August 8, 2022

https://twitter.com/sumitsaurabh/status/1556680116138192896

Why is Sanju Samson not even on standby..what wrong has he done..always in & out of team..Axar & Jadeja are same type of bowlers you don't need both!! Sanju's record in UAE >>>> than Hooda's record..!!!@BCCI @SGanguly99 #AsiaCup2022 #TeamIndia #bcci

— Rudranath Thakur (@Rudranath98) August 8, 2022

Sanju Samson has just played 15 t20i matches but the fanbase he has is unreal 🔥pic.twitter.com/LvnTCfKLGk

— Just Butter (@ItzButter63) August 8, 2022

So it's confirmed now. No Ishan Kishan in the Asia Cup. Feeling bad for him but but it's really his own fault.

— Vishal. (@SportyVishal) August 7, 2022

From ball one it looked like Ishan Kishan is batting with selection playing in his mind. BCCI must share the blame. Giving one match at start of series in Eng and last match in WI .That's exactly not how you give confidence to a player, after that he grabbed his all opportunity.

— Saurabh Gupta (@ksaurav97) August 8, 2022

I was surprised to see Ishan Kishan dropped as a backup opener. He was the most consistent of the newcomers. Deepak Huda's part-time bowling is perhaps the turning point for the selectors.#indiasquad #AsiaCup2022

— Fahim Khan (@FahimKhan1875) August 8, 2022

No Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson in the Indian squad is v surprising. India have gone with reputation over form once again. Virat Kohli could be in the side over Deepak Hooda, which again, proves India won't be going with their strongest XI on paper. #AsiaCup2022

— Farid Khan 🇵🇰🇹🇷 (@_FaridKhan) August 8, 2022

Going without Ishan Kishan and KL rahul in direct playing 11..current form does not matter against Star Player …critics will not spare selectors if KL fails .
#AsiaCup2022#ishankishan #KLrahul

— saurav764 (@saurav764) August 8, 2022