The Indian Cricket Team has received a major boost as far as their injury crisis is concerned. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have both begun match simulations and featured in an NCA practice match on Monday. Their fitness will be monitored, and a decision will be made with the Asia Cup squad set to be announced this week.
In a story shared by Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were seen batting in a practice game. While both players had begun training in the nets, playing match simulations is the next step in returning to full fitness. Rahul and Shreyas were initially reported to miss out on Asia Cup selection, theirthem batting makes a case for an earlier return.
The Indian Cricket team are keen to field their actual World Cup XI in the Asia Cup 2023, but a longer recovery for both Shreyas and Rahul threatens those plans. While both look good batting in the nets, it is unclear whether the selectors will take a gamble and push them into match action.
The Ajit Agarkar led selection panel is expected to announce the Asia Cup squad sometime this week. The players will assemble at the NCA on August 23 for a camp, before leaving for Sri Lanka in late August. The fitness of both Shreyas Iyer & KL Rahul will be monitored during the same period.
“We have a few guys coming back from injuries in any case. We are going to have to give them opportunities to play (in Asia Cup). I haven’t really thought about Asia Cup at this stage. We have a one week camp in Bengaluru from August 23. We’ll be assembling there as a one-day team. We will take it as it comes,” Rahul Dravid after the IND vs WI series.
Should they miss out, it will be interesting to see the selection panel’s approach. While Suryakumar Yadav continues to excel in T20Is, he has really struggled in the 50-over format. Sanju Samson scored a fifty in his last game but struggled in T20s. Tilak Varma has emerged as a dark horse, espeically with his ability to bowl spin.
