After a long injury lay-off, senior batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been included in the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
As per former World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, every player should be tested before the ODI World Cup to be played in India and Asia Cup is the perfect platform to test the fitness of a player.
“Ideally every player should be tested out. The World Cup is so close but you still have not given the players a chance? What if they head to the World Cup and then get injured? The entire team will suffer. Here, at least they will get a chance to bat or bowl a little and get some rhythm going. Worst case scenario, if the guys get injured again during the World Cup, it will be unfair to the players who will miss out on being part of the squad. The injured players who have returned need to be given a chance. If they are fit, then can play the World Cup,” said the 1983 World Cup winning captain.
Moreover, Kapil suggested that a player should not be picked if there are any doubts over his fitness.
“There is no dearth of talent. However if they are not fit, India will have a chance to make changes to the World Cup squad right away. You have a wonderful opportunity to create a team for the World Cup and the Asia Cup is a fine platform. I want these players to go and express themselves. But if there is any sort of question mark, they don’t need to be around. If you do not give them a chance, it will be unfair to not just the players but also the selectors. I am aware that the World Cup is taking place in India but you need to pick the best and fittest team,” said the former legendry all-rounder.