India are not a one-man team. No one's going to replace Virat Kohli but I'll tell you what, it is an unbelievable opportunity for Pandey, Ambati Rayudu and these boys, and don't forget MS Dhoni, said commentator Dean Jones
Dean Jones
Former Australia batsman Dean Jones on Saturday welcomed the BCCI's decision to rest regular skipper Virat Kohli for the upcoming Asia Cup, saying, "It's not a one-man team" while also hailing the inclusion of young guns like Manish Pandey and Khaleel Ahmed for the tournament, starting in UAE on September 15.
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"India are not a one-man team. No one's going to replace Kohli but I'll tell you what, it is an unbelievable opportunity for Pandey, Ambati Rayudu and these boys, and don't forget MS Dhoni," Jones, who is part of the commentary panel for Star Sports the broadcasters of the tournament, told IANS. Kohli, who has been in prolific form in the ongoing five-Test rubber in England, was rested keeping in mind the gruelling tour of Australia, later this year.
Rohit to lead India
Jones further said that the Rohit Sharma-captained team looks exciting and the Asia Cup can give the youngsters a perfect platform to cement their spot. "I think it's a great team led by Rohit, they got their bowlers right who can reverse swing and at the death, 25-30 overs will be bowled for the spinners. They got [Yuzvendra] Chahal, Kuldeep [Yadav] and Axar Patel bowling beautifully.
"Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] and [Jasprit] Bumrah will bowl at the death, they got a very good balance," he added. Besides Kohli, the BCCI selectors also rested the likes of regular ODI players Suresh Raina, Umesh Yadav and Siddarth Kaul. After Rohit's promotion as captain, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was named his deputy in the side that will see the return of Maharashtra batsman Kedar Jadhav to the national side after being out with an injury for a considerable amount of time.
Maiden call-up for Khaleel
Rajasthan's Under-19 pacer Khaleel Ahmed also earned his maiden India call-up for the 14th edition of the meet.
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