The BCCI selectors, head coach Rahul Dravid, and skipper Rohit Sharma have finalized a core group of players from which they will be selecting the squads for the Asia Cup 2023 and the World Cup 2023.
The Asia Cup 2023 will kick-start on August 30 while the World Cup is just two months away, scheduled to start on October 5th.
News agency PTI has learned that the management of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have included the likes of Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, and Mukesh Kumar in their core group of players which will be refined to pick up the final 15 for the Asia Cup and the World Cup as well.
Injuries to KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both of whom are yet not clear of participation in this month’s Asia Cup have made matters tricky for Dravid and Rohit, yet they remain hopeful that both of them will feature in the World Cup in a couple of months’ time.
If KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer both show good form heading into the World Cup after their return, this could mean end of road for both Suryakumar and Samson with Ishan Kishan likely to be preferred as the keeper and opener backup.
In the bowling department, India are all but certain to have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj in their squad for World Cup and Asia Cup. With Hardik Pandya being a dependable bowlin option, it’s unlikely India will pick a fourth pacer in the squad in Asian conditions, while Shardul Thakur, who provides batting depth is also likely to get the nod.
In the spin department, Kuldeep Yadav has made giant strides recently and should be in the Asia Cup squad, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel as well, who has improved his batting significantly in recent times. Yuzvendra Chahal might just sneak into the Asia Cup squad.
India’s likely core group for Asia Cup and World Cup:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Y Chahal.
2 Players missing from India’s core group for Asia Cup and World Cup 2023:
The team management seem to have decided that two youngsters – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Umran Malik – will not be part of their plans for World Cup 2023.
Umran Malik recently featured in 2 ODIs against the West Indies and went wicketless in both matches. Malik has taken 13 wickets in 10 ODIs in his career, and has a tendency to leak runs which could prove harmful for the side.
Coming to Jaiswal, the talented left-hander made his Test debut in West Indies, but wasn’t picked for the ODI series. Gaikwad played one match and scored 8 runs.
India are unlikely to pick Jaiswal or Gaikwad for the ODI sides in the coming months. With Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, India have a set opening pair, while Ishan Kishan is their first-choice opening backup.
