India’s squad for the 2023 Asia Cup, which may also give a glimpse into their provisional squad for the World Cup, is set to be announced today, August 21. Follow the live updates of the announcement here.
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The senior men’s selection committee of the Indian cricket team, headed by Ajit Agarkar, is scheduled to meet today to discuss and finalise the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup that starts on August 30.
India’s Asia Cup squad announcement – live updates
Shreyas and KL Rahul confirmed, Tilak in
Both Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have been confirmed to return. Tilak Varma has been handed an ODI call-up.
Rohit Sharma to address questions from media
In an unprecedented move in Indian cricket, captain Rohit Sharma is expected to address and answer questions from the media during the squad announcement for the Asia Cup today, alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Eyes on the return of first-choice fast bowlers
Along with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, the focus will also be on which fast bowlers make the cut for the Asia Cup. Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, two first-choice ODI seamers who were out with injury for a long time, have made a comeback in the T20I series against Ireland.
Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, who were rested for the West Indies tour, are expected to be back. In the absence of Bumrah and Prasidh, they have led the fast bowling attack in ODIs in the last year or so.
Who is attending the meeting?
All members of the senior India men’s selection panel, along with captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid, are expected to be a part of the selection meeting.
The Indian head coach has not necessarily participated in selection meetings, but the BCCI is expected to depart from the norm for the Asia Cup and the World Cup squads.
Will KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer be back?
Rahul and Iyer, a central part of the Indian ODI middle order over the last couple of years, have been recuperating from injuries at the National Cricket Academy. Their return has been widely awaited.
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They were seen batting together in a match simulation exercise at the NCA a few days back. According to ESPNCricinfo, Iyer played a practice game where he fielded for 50 overs and batted for 38, raising hopes that he might be close to full fitness.
While both players are well on their road to recovery, whether they will make the cut for the Asia Cup squad or not is still uncertain as the BCCI would be looking for a final clearance from the NCA who have been closely monitoring their fitness.
How many players will be selected?
According to the Asia Cup provisions, teams can select squads of 17 players. Resultantly, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal have announced 17-member squads for the event.
India’s squad size will depend on several factors, including the fitness status of Rahul and Iyer as well as the 50-over fielding fitness for Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, both of whom are playing a T20I series in Ireland.
India will ideally look to take all 17 players to the tournament, giving everyone enough room to rest and rotate players to identify and finalise plans and tactics before the World Cup.
Who will be selected?
Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav are the two batters India have backed over the last year in ODIs in Rahul and Iyer’s absence. While Samson (average 55) has had a much better time compared to Yadav (24), the team management seems to have greater trust in the latter’s abilities given his exploits in the T20 format.
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If Rahul and Iyer are both picked, Yadav might get the nod ahead of Samson as backup batter. If neither returns, both should make the squad. Reports of Tilak Varma’s inclusion has also been doing the rounds. Tilak recently made debuted in T20Is in the West Indies, and impressed all with his dynamic batting. His part-time off-spin may also tempt the selectors.
India may also look to pick either one of Washington Sundar or R Ashwin to add variety to their spin department, which currently lacks an off-spinner. Sundar is in Ireland with the T20I team at present, while Ashwin has not played ODI cricket more than a year and a half.
When will the squad be announced?
The squad is expected to be announced at 1:30 pm India time. Agarkar and Rohit are expected to address the media in a now-rare press conference.
