Top 5 Indian cricketers to watch out for in Asia Cup 2023

Asia Cup 2023 will begin on August 30 and India will play their first game on September 2nd against Pakistan.

Indian team will open their Asia Cup 2023 tournament on September 2nd against Pakistan in Kandy, Sri Lanka, and will then play Nepal on September 4th at the same venue, with the tournament starting on August 30 in Multan.

Indian squad was announced some days ago and had some surprises as BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma were both included in the 17-member squad along with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who received the green signal from the NCA.

Others to return from injuries were Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, who made their comeback in the recently concluded Ireland series.

With a squad full of stars, there will be a handful of players who must be considered as ones to watch out for in the Asia Cup tournament.

Check out the five Indian players to watch out for in Asia Cup 2023:

1. Suryakumar Yadav

The BCCI selection committee showed their trust in Suryakumar Yadav as he was picked for Asia Cup 2023 tournament despite his poor showing in the ODIs, where he had around 600 runs in 26 matches.

Suryakumar Yadav himself has said that he knows he is under pressure due to his performances in ODIs. But he will have a few chances to prove himself, as KL Rahul is slated to miss a few matches due to a fresh niggle.

33-years-old knows that this might be his last chance to prove himself worthy of being picked in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 squad, and he needs a couple of big knocks or notable innings in Asia Cup to repay the faith shown in him.

2. KL Rahul

KL Rahul underwent surgery to heal a thigh injury he sustained during the IPL 2023 competition, and he is now back in Indian team after successfully regaining his fitness.

Rahul is considered a huge part of the Indian ODI setup, especially because he keeps wickets and bats in the middle-order, giving solidarity in case early wickets are lost. However, he is expected to miss a couple of matches after suffering a fresh niggle after getting the green signal from NCA.

He was also the former vice-captain of the team and will provide input to the leadership group as well.

3. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer is fully fit and back in Indian team, which gives the management a huge relief as they tried more than 10 combinations at the No. 4 spot to find his replacement when he was out of action due to a back surgery.

Iyer has recovered fully, and his experience and ability to counterattack spin in middle overs or bring it back if India loses early wickets. He also has the ability to hit the fast bowlers for huge sixes in case he comes into bat after a good opening partnership or the top three fire big.

He will be eager to get back into the groove at the Asia Cup and be ready for the World Cup when the time comes to shine on the big stage.

4. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah was excellent in the recent Ireland T20I series, as he was named the Player of the Series for his four wickets in two matches that were played. The pacer also showed good captaincy acumen.

Bumrah and his variety in pace bowling will be needed on slow pitches in Sri Lanka, and bowling 10 overs in Asia Cup will also test his fitness in the long run going into the World Cup. Bumrah is the trump card that India bank on to take early wickets upfront, and he will be eager to shine after missing the T20 World Cup last year.

5. Virat Kohli

Among all the names, Virat Kohli will be under the microscope given his recent rich vein of form in tests and ODIs. Kohli scored a century in West Indies, and had looked good in the ODIs previously as well.

He is nearing a plethora of records, including the moist centuries in ODIs, as he needs four tons to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 tons.

He is one of the highlights of the Indian team and the Asia Cup tournament, and expect him to shine on the biggest stage as well.

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