The roster for the Asia Cup 2023, which is expected to be named this week, is not likely to include KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. These two batters have not healed enough, according to sources inside the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to be taken into consideration for the continental tournament, which runs from August 30 to September 17.
Insiders advise against rushing any player into international action despite them posting updates on their fitness status on social media. If they fully recover, they might still be contenders for the ODI World Cup later this year. In such a case, their comeback matches might be the three-ODI series against Australia in September.
Rahul and Iyer’s absence suggests that the majority of the players who participated in the recently finished three-match ODI series against the West Indies will most likely play in the six-team competition that will take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. With Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and the unstoppable Jasprit Bumrah returning, there will be a few bowling changes.
Prasidh Krishna, who is also making his comeback after a lengthy injury layoff, is being considered, but he might not make the final roster because there isn’t a spot in the 15. Though Rahul might possibly be in the running, it appears that Ishan Kishan is sealing his spot as the wicketkeeper for both the Asia Cup and the World Cup.
Ishan’s participation forces the team management to choose the opening lineup when Rohit Sharma rejoins the starting XI. According to early indications, Ishan and Rohit will bat first, with Shubman Gill, who opened the first three One-Day Internationals against the West Indies, perhaps moving to the middle order. The final lineup and batting order will be decided during the Asia Cup training camp, which is set to take place in Bengaluru from August 24 to August 29. Pakistan will be India’s opponent in the tournament’s opening game on September 2.
Pakistan’s two World Cup games will have new dates.
In other news, it was confirmed that six World Cup games, including two involving Pakistan, will have their schedules changed. Pakistan’s game against Sri Lanka is apparently scheduled to be changed from October 12 to October 10 while the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match is reportedly moved from Ahmedabad to October 14 instead. The latter game will take place at the same location in Hyderabad.
These possible adjustments have apparently been communicated to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Final confirmation is anticipated within the next few days. Schedule changes could also be made for the October 11 games between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Chennai and England and Afghanistan in Delhi.
