“We still have a month and a half before World Cup. Hopefully they (Iyer and Rahul) will get enough cricket before that,” Agarkar said.
New Delhi: Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have returned to the Indian team, while young Tilak Verma has received his maiden ODI call-up as the BCCI on Monday, August 21, announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Rahul and Iyer had undergone surgeries for thigh and back injuries, respectively, and have not played a competitive match for months. While there was a fair amount of speculation and doubt whether the duo would miss out, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the decision had been taken to ensure the two senior batsmen “get enough cricket” before the World Cup.
“We still have a month and a half before World Cup. Hopefully they (Iyer and Rahul) will get enough cricket before that,” Agarkar said.
The Asia Cup, which will be hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, will begin on August 30. India will also host Australia for an ODI series before the World Cup in October-November.
It is still not certain though, whether Rahul will be available for India’s opening match against Pakistan on September 2. “A few important guys are still recovering from injuries, and I hope all goes well for them. Shreyas has been declared fit, but Rahul still hasn’t recovered completely,” Agarkar said.
“It is a small setback for KL but we are hopeful that will be okay. Rahul plays in the team as a wicketkeeper-batter. Hopefully he will be available from the first game, though we are expecting him to be fit for the second or third game,” the former India pacer added.
Ishan Kishan will be the back-up wicketkeeper, while Sanju Samson has been named as a reserve. Agarkar also clarified that Kishan will be the only back-up option to openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, ruling out Shikhar Dhawan’s chances of a comeback.
“Rohit is not a bad player. Shubman has had a great year, Ishan Kishan as well. Shikhar has been a terrific player for India. At the moment, three guys are doing well,” Agarkar said.
Also making a comeback to the ODI squad after long injury layoffs are Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. The two pacers have made an impressive return to the national team, picking up four wickets each in the first two matches of India’s ongoing T20I series against Ireland.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, however, missed out. The selectors have picked Ravindra Jadeja for his all-round skills, and have shown more faith in left-arm bowler Kuldeep Yadav in the wrist spin department. Left-arm orthodox spinner Axar Patel too has been picked for his batting ability.
“He (Chahal) is another terrific performer for India. Sometimes it is the balance of the team or the team combination. Axar (Patel) has done really well and he can bat as well. Kuldeep (Yadav) has had a good run so to fit two wrist spinners is difficult. Kuldeep is ahead of him,” Agarkar said.
Squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (reserve)
*****************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com