BCCI announces India squad for Asia Cup

Agency :
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 17-member Asia Cup squad on Monday as KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been selected in the squad after recovering in time from a thigh and back injury respectively.

Tilak Varma, a rookie left-hander who has yet to make his ODI debut, named in the squad.

Fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna have both been included, having made their international comebacks during the present T20I series in Ireland after recovering from back operations.

Mohammed Shami returns after missing the entire West Indies trip, while Mohammed Siraj and allrounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur round out the pace attack.

Experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been dropped from the squad, with Kuldeep Yadav preferred as the wrist-spinner along with two finger-spinning all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

Ishan Kishan was chosen over Sanju Samson as the squad’s second wicketkeeper following Rahul, with the left-hander also serving as a reserve opener.

Samson, on the other hand, will travel to Sri Lanka as a reserve.

India begin their campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Pallekele before taking on Nepal on September 4 ahead of the Super Fours stage.

India squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna.
Reserve player: Sanju Samson.