On Monday, the roster of 17 players representing India in the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 was unveiled. During a press conference, Captain Rohit Sharma and the head of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, came forward to officially declare the squad and also field questions from the media.
The real buzz surrounded the return of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, both making comebacks after recovering from surgeries for their respective injuries.
The discussion about the crucial number 4 batting position came up, and Rohit Sharma handled it skillfully. Shreyas Iyer, who had been sidelined due to a back injury since March, has made a return to the squad. Iyer is slated to take on the number 4 spot during the Asia Cup. However, Captain Rohit Sharma emphasized the need for adaptability in the middle-order lineup. He mentioned that the players between positions 4 to 7 should be ready to switch their batting order as required.
Still, a lot of games for us to get the combinations right Says Rohit Sharma
If India reaches the finals, then they are set to play 6 ODIs in the Asia Cup 2023. Additionally, there are 3 ODIs slated versus Australia, paired with two games of warm-up matches prior to the World Cup.
Rohit Sharma stressed that although the top three places are guaranteed with Rohit, Gill, and Virat Kohli, India will retain a spirit of experimentation inside the middle-order and bowling combination during the Asia Cup. This strategic strategy attempts to consolidate the team’s lineup and choose the appropriate players for the forthcoming World Cup in 2023.
“We have guys who can bat at no 4, it is about top 3 and others, it is about players doing well in the XI. Unfortunately, we have had many injuries, so we had to try and rotate, workload management etc, try out combinations,” Rohit said.
“We tried stuff and once we get into the World Cup, we want to be assured that this is what we want to do. There is still a lot of games for us to get the combinations right and give the guys a go as well & 9 or so games we have,” he added.
India squad for Asia Cup 2023
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Prasidh Krishna
Reserve Player – Sanju Samson
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