The 2023 Asia Cup team will likely be named this week, and KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have a low chance of making the cut. Based on information from inside the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), these two hitters are not fit to compete in the next continental competition (August 30-September 17).
Although both players have posted updates on their health on social media, it may be too soon to put them back into international competition, according to experts. However, if they make a full recovery, they will still be contenders for the ODI World Cup later this year. If this is the case, they may return in time for the September ODI series against Australia.
Most of the players from the recently finished three-match ODI series against the West Indies will almost certainly participate in the six-team competition to be conducted in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, despite the absence of Rahul and Iyer. However, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and the indestructible Jasprit Bumrah will all be back to bowl.
Prasidh Krishna is also in the running after a lengthy absence due to injury, although he may not be included in the final 15. It seems like Ishan Kishan is locking up the wicketkeeper spot for both the Asia Cup and the World Cup, while Rahul is still in the running.
When Rohit Sharma is back in the lineup, the team’s management will have to pick which opening pair to choose, what with Ishan now in the mix. It seems like Ishan and Rohit will begin the batting, with Shubman Gill, who opened in the three ODIs against the West Indies, perhaps moving to the middle order. During the Asia Cup training camp in Bengaluru from August 24–29, the final roster and batting order will be decided. On September 2, India will face Pakistan in the tournament’s first game.
Pakistan’s World Cup matchups will move to other dates.
Six matches in the World Cup, including two featuring Pakistan, will be played on different dates than originally planned. Pakistan’s game against Sri Lanka is expected to be postponed by two days, from October 12 to 10, while the highly anticipated India-Pakistan encounter is allegedly moved a day earlier, to October 14 in Ahmedabad. The second game will still go place in Hyderabad.
There has allegedly been communication with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding these proposed alterations. The October 11 encounter between New Zealand and Bangladesh in Chennai and the October 11 match between England and Afghanistan in Delhi may both see schedule changes, with confirmation coming in the next few days.