There comes a fresh update from Indian Cricket Team to beat our Monday blues! The awaited India’s Asia Cup 2023 Squad has been announced. A total of 15-member squad has been announced for the marquee event which can be termed as a preliminary squad for ODI World Cup 2023. The squad includes some surprise inclusions and shocking exclusions. The squad has been announced keeping in mind India’s problem of batting at No 4 along with depth in the batting order.
India’s Asia Cup Squad sees the return of Shreyas Iyer & KL Rahul who are making a comeback from injury. Both the batters were completing their rehabilitation at the NCA as they were out of action for a few months due to long-term injuries. But with two major events in picture, the return of India’s two senior players in the middle order is a big boost for the Indian team.
Concerns over KL Rahul’s fitness prevail, Samson steps in as Reserve Player
The newly appointed Chairman of India’s Selection Committee, Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Shryeas is completely fit & has received a green signal from NCA to feature in Asia Cup. While there is still some concern around Rahul as he is carrying a niggle which is not related to his long-term injury. But the Agarakar ensured that the injury will be completely fine till the first or second game of Asia Cup 2023. And to fill in the void of Rahul’s absence in one or two games, Sanju Samson will be traveling as a reserve player to Sri Lanka. Notably, the Indian team Management has chosen wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan over Sanju Samson as the second wicket-keeping option. However, Samson will travel to Sri Lanka as a reserve player & will probably play in the marquee event if the team needs him.
The 17-member squad also includes left-hander batter Tilak Verma who is yet to make his ODI debut. Meanwhile, Suryakumar who hasn’t been able to create a mark in the ODI format so far has been retained in the 17-member squad. India’s key pacers Bumrah & Krishna who made their comebacks after recovering from back injuries in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland have also been named in India’s Asia Cup 2023 Squad. While India’s veteran pacer, Mohammad Shami who was rested for the entire West Indies 2023 series will return to the lineup. Mohammed Siraj along with all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur complete their pace attack.
Why Chahal & Ashwin left out from India’s Asia Cup 2023 Squad
There comes a major exclusion in India’s Asia Cup Squad with experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal being dropped from the lineup. Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav comes in place of Chahal along with two-finger-spinner all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. There is no off-spinner in the announced squad. Notably, off-spinners R Ashwin & Washington Sundar too miss the selection as the management has given importance to seamers with ODI World Cup 2023 in the picture.
On Chahal & R Ashwin’s exclusion, Rohit Sharma said that the management & selection committee have given more importance to having players who can bat at No.8 or No.9 in the squad, an area where India lacks in white-ball cricket.
Rohit’s comments shed light on the team’s considerations. He emphasized that discussions about both an offspinner and a legspinner took center stage. However, the primary concern revolved around reinforcing the batting lineup at the 8th and 9th positions. The team’s focus was on identifying a player with the ability to hold their own with the bat in those spots. Axar emerged as a strong contender due to his notable performance this year and his competence in white-ball cricket. And according to the management, his inclusion would offer the team a valuable left-handed batting advantage against spin bowlers further adding depth to the lineup. He further said that the team’s deliberations also extended to Ashwin and Washington. However, the limited squad size of 17 players resulted in even Chahal missing out on selection.
No doors closed for Chahal, Ashwin, or Sundar for future
The Indian team Captain made it clear that it’s not the final squad that will go to ODI World Cup 2023. He emphasized that anyone can come into the lineup at any point in time. If the team requires Chahal, Ashwin, or Sundar for the World Cup 2023 they can be included in the squad & no doors are closed for anyone.
Apart from Tilak Verma, there were no surprise inclusions in the batting order & talking about the same Rohit made it clear that the team management wanted to be flexible in the batting order including players who can bat at any position & are flexible in approach. He made it clear that the management has a message clear for the players that they need players who can set up & bat at any position & they don’t want players to be stuck at one batting position.
The Indian team will begin their Asia Cup 2023 Campaign in Pakistan on September 2 in Pallekele before facing Nepal on September 4 ahead of the Super Fours stage. Meanwhile, the Asia Cup 2023 will begin in Pakistan on August 30 with Nepal facing Pakistan in Multan.
India’s Asia Cup Squad:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, 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)
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