Asia Cup 2023: Indian squad announced; Injured Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul return to the side

India’s middle-order prospects have received a significant boost as Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul make their comeback to the India squad for the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. Both batters were sidelined due to long-term injuries, but their return comes as a timely reinforcement with the World Cup looming in less than two months. Ajit Agarkar, the Chairman of the Indian Senior Men’s Selection Committee, affirmed Iyer’s complete recovery. However, Rahul is nursing a separate niggle unrelated to his previous injury, possibly causing him to miss a game or two in the Asia Cup, as noted by Agarkar. Consequently, Sanju Samson has been selected as the backup player in the 17-man squad.

Tilak Varma, who impressed during his debut in West Indies, books his spot. Suryakumar Yadav, despite pressure in the 50-over format, retains his spot in the squad. T20I captain Hardik Pandya continues as the vice-captain of the 50-over setup. Chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, shared, “In West Indies, we saw some real promise in terms of not just performances but the temperament… a left-hander again, looks very promising. So fortunately we can take 17 here, it’ll be 15 at the World Cup.” Jasprit Bumrah, who made a comeback in Ireland, will lead the pace attack alongside Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur.

Read More: ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Schedule

In the spin department, Yuzvendra Chahal is absent, with Kuldeep Yadav chosen as the leading spinner along with allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. The importance of batting options at No. 8 and No. 9 was emphasized by skipper Rohit Sharma, explaining the reasoning behind Chahal’s exclusion.India’s Asia Cup journey begins against Pakistan on September 2 in Pallekele, followed by a match against Nepal on September 4 before proceeding to the Super Fours stage.

Indian Squad – Asia cup 2023

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)