Less than two months remain for 2023 ODI World Cup and in nearly three weeks from now, India will face Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener. With time running out, India are sweating over the fitness of their three crucial limited-overs stars including Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.
The trio is returning from various surgeries they underwent earlier this year and are now in a race against time to prove their match fitness.
In a positive development for the Indian team, Bumrah has been named captain of a young T20I squad that will be playing three matches in Ireland later this week. However, there’s no update on the fitness status of either Rahul or Iyer even though clips of the duo practicing in the nets have been widely shared on social media.
While India are yet to name their squad for the Asia Cup which gets underway from August 30, their head coach Rahul Dravid has hinted that the injured trio could make the cut for the continental event.
To a query on whether India will continue to give youngsters a chance at the Asia Cup, Dravid said, “We a have a few guys coming back from injuries in any case. We are going to have to give them opportunities to play (in Asia Cup). I haven’t really thought about Asia Cup at this stage. We have a one week camp in Bengaluru from August 23. We’ll be assembling there as a one-day team. We will take it as it comes.”
India will be aiming to fine tune their squad and preparations through Asia Cup and three ODIs against Australia in the lead up to the world cup that starts from October 5.
India have been pooled alongside Pakistan and Nepal in Group A of Asia Cup.
The tournament is being held across Pakistan and Sri Lanka with the final to be played on September 17.
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