Asia Cup 2023: India's Squad To Be Announced On August 21; KL Rahul Available For Selection - Reports
Published - 18 Aug 2023, 06:41 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:17 AM
The Men’s selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, is reportedly expected to announce the Indian cricket squad for the upcoming Asia Cup in a meeting scheduled for August 21 in New Delhi. Notably, Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma will be present during the selection deliberations.
The continental tournament will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal have already announced their squads, while the remaining three teams, including Sri Lanka, India, and Afghanistan, are yet to announce their teams for the event.
KL Rahul Fit And Available For Selection – Reports
As per News18 CricketNext, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has recovered his fitness and is expected to be available for selection. Rahul suffered a thigh injury while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. He last played for India in three-match ODI series against Australia earlier this year.
“KL Rahul is fit and available for selection. He has been regularly batting and wicketkeeping and looks good fitness-wise. With regards to Shreyas Iyer, signs are extremely positive,” a source close to developments tells CricketNext.
In KL Rahul’s absence, the team management experienced Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson in the middle order in a 50-over format. However, Suryakumar and Samson failed to impress with their batting. Rahul will walk straight back into the India team’s playing XI after regaining his full fitness.
India’s Combination Almost Settled For Asia Cup
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul are slated to be in the top-order batting lineup, while Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion depends on his fitness. Ishan Kishan is set to take on the wicketkeeper and backup opener roles. The all-rounder positions will be occupied by Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are likely to be the first-choice seam bowlers. Shardul Thakur could potentially secure the fourth seamer spot following his standout performance in the West Indies ODI series. Kuldeep Yadav is expected to be the primary spinner in the squad.
The players are competing for the remaining two spots in the squad. Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal would be the choices for the second spinner spot. The selectors could consider picking both Patel and Chahal, given that the multinational tournament will be played in spin-friendly conditions.
