The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 which will begin on August 30. Among the other cricketers, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj found place in the team.
The tournament which will run from August 30 to September 17 will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
India will open their Asia Cup campaign with an iconic clash against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Indian squad for Asia Cup 2023
The squad also marks the return of Jasprit Bumrah to ODI cricket after a gap of more than one year. After proving his fitness in the ongoing T20I series against Ireland, Bumrah is set to test himself in the 50-over format heading into the World Cup. India’s pace attack will be boosted by the return of Mohammed Siraj, who was not the in the team for some time due to a sore ankle.
A big question ahead of Team India’s selection meeting for the Asia Cup 2023 was the fitness of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Both have made it to the squad.
Bowling all-rounders Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are also in the squad to give the captain more diversity in choices. Apart from Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja is also in the team as an all-rounder.
The complete Indian squad for Asia Cup 2023 is Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
Benchmark for India’s preparation for World Cup
Asia Cup 2023 will serve as an important benchmark for India’s preparations for the World Cup starting in October and will also help selectors make choices for the marquee event.
The tournament will kick off with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan, Pakistan.
Pakistan, India and Nepal are in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.
The six group-stage matches will be followed by the Super fours, beginning September 6.
The final will be played by the top two teams at the end of the Super fours on September 17 in Colombo.
With input from ANI
