The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad for Asia Cup 2023 on Monday afternoon. The 17-member squad was announced by the board after a selection committee meeting was held in the national capital where skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid were also present.
The mixture of experience and youth
The squad named by the Ajit Agarkar-led committee included a mixture of both experience and youth. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bhumrah have been included alongside youngsters like Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan. Apart from them, the board has also included Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
Speaking at the press conference after the meeting, Agarkar while speaking about Varma’s inclusion, pointed out that the board noticed some real promise in the youngster, during the latter’s tour to the West Indies and that the upcoming tournament will give some exposure to him.
On Tilak Varma’s inclusion
It may be noted that Varma had impressed everybody during the tour to West Indies, where not only looked technically sound but also showed the temperament needed at the international level. Former Indian cricketers like Ravi Shastriand Sandeep Patil had also opined earlier that they would prefer the 20-year-old in both Asia Cup as well as World Cup, which India will host later this year.
While speaking about the rest of the squad, Agarkar said that while Shreyas has been declared a match-fit, KL Rahul has a small niggle. Sanju Samson has been picked as the backup keeper for the event.
Asia Cup Schedule
Beginning on August 30, the tournament will be held on the hybrid model, with Sri Lanka hosting nine matches and Pakistan hosting four. The much-awaited India and Pakistan match will be held on at the Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy on September 2. The top four teams will reach the semi-final.
Full squad
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Mohammed Siraj.