India arrive in Colombo for Asia Cup 2023

India have arrived in Colombo on Wednesday, August 30, ahead of their much-anticipated campaign opener against arch-rivals Pakistan scheduled on September 2. The fans are already on the edge of their seats to watch a thriller of a contest.

As the Indian players reached Colombo airport, star batter Virat Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya were spotted candidly conversing. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, pacer Mohammad Shami, and head coach Rahul Dravid were seen sharing light-hearted moments.

However, the Indian team will miss the services of star batter KL Rahul in their first two matches of the Asia Cup campaign. Rahul, who has been recovering from an injury, will be under the watchful eyes of the National Cricket Academy until September 4.  

"He (KL Rahul) had a good week with us, he is progressing well on the route that we want to take, but he will be unavailable for the first part of the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will be looking after him while we are travelling. We will reassess him on the fourth (September 4) and we will take it from there. The signs are good and he is progressing well," confirmed Dravid in a press conference. 

Pakistan, India, and Nepal are in Group A, while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The unique hybrid model of the Asia Cup will see Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues, with Sri Lanka hosting the remaining matches.

Following the group-stage matches, the Super Fours stage is set to commence on September 6, and the final is slated for September 17 in Colombo as the top two teams from the Super Four stage will be against each other for the trophy.