India Asia Cup 2023 Squad: Shreyas Iyer fully fit, KL Rahul still has a niggle

India Asia Cup 2023 Squad: Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul make comebacks in the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023

The 16th edition of the Asia Cup is all set to begin in a week’s time. The tournament will be hosted by Sri Lanka and Pakistan and kick off on August 30 when Pakistan will take on Nepal at Multan Cricket Stadium. Six teams are divided into two groups of three each. India are in Group A, along with Pakistan and Nepal, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are in Group B.

Team India will start their journey on September 2 with a game against archrival Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. And the much-awaited announcement was made on Monday, August 21. The Indian selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, have announced a strong 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. This saw some big names making a comeback and a few surprising exclusions.

India Asia Cup 2023 Squad: Ajit Agarkar gives major update on the injuries of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul

The announced squad saw the return of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who were looking unlikely a few days ago. Both Indian stars have been out of action for the last 5–6 months due to respective injuries. However, they have made a significant recovery and have taken part in some practice games at the National Cricket Academy in Bangaluru.

However, Agarkar confirmed that Iyer is all set to go and fully fit. But he also confirmed that Rahul has a niggle at the moment. Agarkar said, “Shreyas Iyer has been declared match fit. KL Rahul has picked up a small niggle, that’s why Sanju Samson will be traveling as a reserve. KL Rahul’s niggle has nothing to do with his initial injury.” That is why Sanju Samson has been picked as a backup wicket-keeper with the squad. The squad also has Ishan Kishan. On the other hand, Tilak Varma makes a cut in the squad after an impressive show in the five-match T20I series against West Indies.

Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna are also part of the team, along with Mohammad Siraj and Mohammad Shami. Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Shardul Thakur are the all-rounders in the squad. Kuldeep Yadav is the left-arm spinner. Suryakumar Yadav has retained his ODI place despite low scores against West Indies. The top order will have Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli. Notably, Yuzi Chahal has been dropped, which comes as a surprise to many.

India Asia Cup 2023 Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (v/c), Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Traveling Reserve: Sanju Samson

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