BCCI announces India's 17-man squad for Asia Cup 2023, Sanju Samson included as reserve

The 16th edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to be contested from August 30 to September 17. The six-team continental championship will be played in a hybrid model after the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) refused to send the team to Pakistan. The tournament will now be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 

The curtain raiser will be played between Pakistan and Nepal on August 30 at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Meanwhile, India will play their campaign opener against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

Ajit Agarkar, Chairman of All India Selection Committee, along with captain Rohit Sharma announced a 17-member squad for the much-awaited 2023 Asia Cup on Monday, August 21. The announcement has come after a selection meeting in which skipper Rohit Sharma and ACC President Jay Shah were also present. 

Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the Men in Blue, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be his deputy. Meanwhile, star India batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have made it to the roster after recovering from injuries at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. The wicketkeeper-batter was out of action after suffering a thigh injury during Lucknow Super Giants’ clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2023 Indian Premier League, while Shreyas hurt his back during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home. 

Speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who made his comeback in the away T20I series against Ireland after a long hiatus, will lead India’s pace attack in the continental championship. Veteran leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been left out of the squad, with Kuldeep Yadav picked as the lone wrist-spinner along with spin all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. 

Tilak Varma was the one surprise addition to the squad, who made an impressive debut in the T20I series against the West Indies. The youngster featured in all five games and finished the series as India's leading run scorer with 173 runs. 

Ishan Kishan was picked ahead of Sanju Samson as the second wicketkeeper in the squad, and the Kerala-born cricketer will travel to Sri Lanka as a reserve player. Kishan is being eyed as the best opening partner for Rohit, following a stellar run in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against the West Indies, which India won 2-1. He amassed fifties in all three games and finished as India's top-scorer with 184 runs. 

India Final Squad for Asia Cup 2023:

Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (reserve)

Team India Schedule for Asia Cup 2023: