With less than 40 days left for the World Cup 2023 tournament to kick off, Rohit Sharma & Co begin preparation by playing Asia Cup. After the Continental Cup, India will play three ODIs against Australia. These matches will be critical for India as they aim to finally end the trophy drought, which has not seen them win ICC Trophies for 10 years.
Asia Cup will give India a chance to fix combinations. After a long time, the Men in Blue will have a chance to play a full-strength squad. The Continental will see the return of Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer from their respective injuries. The trio missed the majority of ODIs in 2023, which allowed India to try different combinations. While a few of them clicked, few of them did not.
One major area of concern for India has been failing to find a solution at number four. Suryakumar Yadav was tried in that role, but he failed to cement the place. With Iyer fully fit, he will play at that role and hopefully continue his dazzling form, which has seen him average over 45 in ODIs at four.
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- Check World Cup squads
Asia Cup 2023: Shreyas Iyer to make comeback, Mohammed Shami, Siraj back from break, as India eye glory in Asia Cup
Head coach Rahul Dravid stated in the press conference that KL Rahul won’t play India’s opening games against Pakistan and Nepal as he is not fully fit. With only Ishan Kishan as the backup wicketkeeper, the southpaw is expected to slot in the middle order – a role which he is not familiar.
Rohit Sharma is expected to open along with Shubman Gill, followed by Kohi and Iyer at three and four respectively. Kishan will play at five, followed by all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. India’s bowling looks promising, with Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Siraj in it.
