Asia Cup 2023: India names KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Verma in 17-Man Squad

Asia Cup 2023: Shubman Gill has been part of India’s 17-member squad after KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer withdrew. Hardik Pandya will continue as the vice-captain of the ODI team.

The Board of Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday, August 21, announced the 17-member extended squad for the Asia Cup 2023. Rohit Sharma will lead the team as their star player returns from injury.

The squad was announced by the chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar who met the press in New Delhi along with captain Rohit Sharma.

Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul’s comeback after injury is the big talk of the team. Along with Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah is also back in the ODI team.

Suryakumar Yadav has retained his place in the team despite his modest stats and recent form in ODIs.

Pacer Krishna is back in the ODI squad for the first time since August 2022, having recovered from a back injury.

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As expected, India included Thilak Verma, who is yet to make his ODI debut, after a superb performance in his first T20I series on the tour of West Indies.

Ajit Agarkar confirmed that the composition of the World Cup squad will be similar to that of his Asia Cup squad, but he has until September 5 (the cut-off time to announce the provisional squad) to make changes.

India Team for Asia Cup 2023

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Thilak Verma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj , Kuldeep Yadav, Famous Krishna.

Backup: Sanju Samson.

No Yuzi Chahal
There is no place in the 17-man squad for Yujuvendra Chahal, who may be ruled out of the World Cup once again despite his consistent performances. Chahal, one of the most consistent wicket-takers in ODIs, missed the match in West Indies in July and only returned in the T20 format.

Kuldeep Yadav is definitely India’s No.1 option, with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the side.

Returned in the Indian team
KL Rahul – Thigh injury
Shreyas Iyer – Back injury
Jasprit Bumrah, the famous Krishna – back pain
From the 2019 World Cup onwards, Indian cricket has been struggling with a significant problem regarding the No.4 position. With several batsmen finding the No.4 spot, India are still without a solid option just months before the 2023 World Cup.

In the current World Cup cycle, Iyer has shown remarkable performance by scoring 805 runs in 20 innings, with an average of 47.35. But the Mumbai-based batsman suffered a back injury against Australia, due to which he was out of international cricket since February this year.

He underwent successful back surgery in London on June 3, 2023, due to a problem caused by a bulging disc trapping a nerve. Iyer missed the entire IPL 2023 season and the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) as a result of the surgery.

As for Rahul, he has scored 735 runs at 56.53 in the fifth over and looks a reliable option for the World Cup. However, he suffered a groin injury while captaining Lucknow Supergiants against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2023.

The injury was so severe that surgery was required, which was successfully performed on May 9. After the operation, Rahul underwent an extensive rehabilitation program at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, as shared on his official Instagram handle. His recovery process included rigorous gym workouts under the supervision of BCCI coaches.

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