India's Asia Cup squad: Rahul, Iyer return; Tilak earns call-up
Senior batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been included in India's squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, starting August 30. The duo returns to the ODI side after recovering from long-term injuries. Meanwhile, youngster Tilak Varma, who has been impressive in T20I cricket, receives his maiden ODI call-up. The men's selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar named the squad on Monday.
India's squad for Asia Cup
India squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Prasidh Krishna. Reserve player: Sanju Samson.
Tilak Varma earns maiden ODI call-up
On expected lines, 20-year-old Tilak has earned his maiden ODI call-up. He impressed one and all in the recently-concluded T20I series against West Indies, which marked his international debut. Tilak averages 56.18 in List A cricket, while his ability to bowl off-spin fast-tracked him to the ODI side. He is likely to be in India's ICC Cricket World Cup squad as well.
Bumrah returns; Hardik remains vice-captain
Bumrah, who returned to international cricket in the ongoing Ireland series, makes his comeback to the ODI setup. The former is currently leading India's second-string team against Ireland. Pandya, who replaced Rahul as India's vice-captain in white-ball cricket, retains his role. His captaincy following India's 3-2 T20I series against WI was highly criticized. The all-rounder led India in the series in Rohit's absence.
The return of Rahul and Iyer
Two of India's prolific middle-order batters, Rahul and Iyer return to action after recovering from injuries. While Iyer has been out since March this year due to back issues, Rahul suffered a hamstring injury during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). While announcing the squad, Agarkar stated that Iyer is completely fit, while Rahul is yet to gain full fitness.
Rahul, Ishan enter as wicket-keepers
The talented wicket-keeper-batter Samson has been picked as a reserve player. He has not made the most of the limited opportunities in ODIs. This means Rahul will keep wickets in the tournament. Meanwhile, Ishan makes the squad as the second wicket-keeper.
Chahal left out of bowling attack
India's experienced pace trio - Bumrah, Shami, and Siraj - return for the continental tournament. Young Prasidh is the fourth specialist seamer in the squad. Besides, all-rounders Hardik and Shardul Thakur will also chip in with their fast bowling. Finger-spinners Jadeja and Axar, as well as wrist-spinner Kuldeep, form the spin attack. Surprisingly, the experienced Chahal has been dropped from the Asia Cup squad.
India to take on Pakistan in Asia Cup opener
The 2023 Asia Cup will serve as the lead-up to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup that gets underway on October 5. Six teams - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal - will participate in 13 ODIs throughout the tournament scheduled in Sri Lanka and Pakistan in a hybrid model. India will clash against Pakistan in their tournament opener (September 2).
