Mumbai: Team India's squad for the 2023 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and Pakistan has been announced on Monday. After meeting with captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid, the senior selection committee headed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the squad. Head coach Dravid was also present during the India squad announcement. This was an unprecedented move as historically, the BCCI secretary and chairman of selectors usually address the media persons.
With the ODI World Cup just around the corner, Team India's performance in the continental tournament – which will be played as 50-over format this year – will be keenly watched for to get a realistic assessment to their chances at the cricket's biggest showdown later this year at home. Major doubts are regarding the fitness of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both of whom have been recovering from a thigh and a back injury respectively. The fitness of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has come as a delightful surprise in the three-match T20I series against Ireland, and he is likely to be a feature of the Asia Cup squad.
Ajit Agarkar sounded optimistic. He said, "We are hopeful that KL (Rahul) will be okay by the time we will be playing our first match." Rohit said, “We have guys who can bat at No.4. It’s not one position … There have been challenges, guys who have been put under pressure, unfortunately because of injuries, we have had to try others. We tried Axar at No.4 being a left-hander, go, bat freely.”
India's Asia Cup 2023 squad: Rohit (C), Kohli, Iyer, KL, Surya, Tilak, Kishan, Hardik, Jadeja, Axar, Shardul, Bumrah, Shami, Siraj, Kuldeep and Prasidh Krishna.
