India is building the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Obviously, it is expected that the domestic tournament is given good preference. However, almost none of the performers from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023 season were selected for the upcoming T20I series. On that note, here, we take a look at three top performers in SMAT 2023 who were not selected for the South Africa T20I Series.
1) Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvi has been in fine form in recent months. Starting with the Uttar Pradesh T20 League, the veteran has done well in both the start and the final phases of the game. He picked wickets and maintained a top economy, as well.
Despite the numbers, Bhuvi has not been included in the side. It appears that the selectors have started selecting Deepak Chahar again. While Deepak has also been doing well, his better ability with the bat could be giving him an edge over Bhuvi.
2) Suyash Sharma
Suyash Sharma is one of the top performers in SMAT 2023 who was not selected for the South Africa T20I Series. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi are likely to be the spinners who will be considered in the Indian T20I Team.
However, Suyash’s performance is such that he deserves an opportunity. Even Ravi Bishnoi is slowly finding his groove. Giving him solid competition in the form of Suyash could have been a useful thing to do. That said, the logic could have been that Suyash is still very raw.
3) Riyan Parag
One of the big names to miss out was Riyan Parag. He has been the best performer in the recent domestic tournaments.
India needs all-rounders in the top half of the side. Riyan can offer a few overs with the ball. He is doing well under pressure. Despite this, he is not in the squad. It also needs to be noted that the Indian middle-order is already stacked.
