“KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer Make Comeback for Asia Cup 2023”
After recuperating from their individual ailments, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have earned seats in India’s squad for the forthcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. India’s middle-order is strengthened by their comeback as they get ready for the upcoming World Cup.
The Indian Senior Men’s Selection Committee’s chairman, Ajit Agarkar, has declared that Shreyas Iyer is now totally fit. KL Rahul, on the other hand, has a small ailment unconnected to his prior chronic problem, and according to Agarkar, it’s possible that he will miss one or two games of the Asia Cup. Sanju Samson has been chosen to serve as the team’s backup player as a result.
Tilak Varma has been called up for his first ODI after making an impression during his debut in the West Indies. Suryakumar Yadav has kept his spot in the 17-person squad despite being under pressure in the 50-over format. The T20I team’s captain, Hardik Pandya, continues to lead the side in the 50-over format as vice-captain.
India’s pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah in the next games after he made his eagerly anticipated return during the Ireland series. Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and the multi-talented bowler Shardul Thakur will also be part of the pace battery. The selectors have decided not to include Yuzvendra Chahal in the spin department, selecting Kuldeep Yadav as the main spinner instead. The spin options are completed by all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
India’s skipper Rohit Sharma underlined the need for players who can contribute with the bat at positions 8 and 9 in the lineup, an area where India has been deficient in white-ball cricket, in his justification for leaving Chahal off the team. We had in-depth conversations about including an offspinner and a legspinner, according to Rohit. However, our batting options at positions 8 and 9 ultimately determined the outcome. We needed someone capable of filling those positions. Axar has succeeded at white-ball cricket this year and has put forth a strong performance. He gives us the benefit of having a left-handed batsman who can take on spinners and increases the depth of our batting by being a part of the squad. We also spoke about include Washington and Ashwin.As you can see, even Chahal missed out due to the squad size limitations of 17 players.”
In order to advance to the Super Fours stage, India’s campaign begins on September 2 against Pakistan in Pallekele and continues with a match against Nepal on September 4.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (backup)