Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar were present in a press conference in Delhi to announce the squads for the Asia Cup 2023. (Image: Twitter)
With the upcoming Asia Cup in mind, fans might be wondering when the World Cup squads will be released and looks like. Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar has shared some information regarding this.
While there is a lot of buzz around who is being included in the highly-anticipated Asia Cup, there is the big fish, the 2023 ODI World Cup which is being hosted by India. The Men in Blue will be looking to get their hands on both trophies after heartbreaking losses to Sri Lanka and arch-rivals Pakistan. They also lost a close game against New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup in England.
Former Indian fast-bowler and now Chief Selector of the BCCI, Ajit Agarkar said at a press conference on Monday regarding the squad for the 2023 ICC World Cup. He said that the deadline set to decide on the squad for the World Cup is set for September 5. Another interesting point to note is that Agarkar also mentioned the World Cup squad would be similar to that of the Asia Cup squad.
Agarkar spoke on the World Cup squad, he said, “It is a no-brainer. We have picked these 17 guys (referring to the Asia Cup). There are players coming back from injury. Hope everything goes well for them. September 5 is the deadline (for the WC squad) and there is a camp before we announce the squad. We will have a look at our players and it will be in and around these guys only (the WC squad).”
Another key area the selectors will be looking to give clarity to the fans and experts regarding who would take up the number four position. The spot has never had a fixed member and has always been decided as per the match situation. On the number four position, captain, Rohit Sharma said he wants flexibility on the position and requires players who can bat anywhere.
Rohit also added, “We have got nine ODIs and two practice matches. We will give our players this position and they will try making it their own.”
Regarding the upcoming World Cup from October 5, Rohit shared that he does not believe in the idea of being underdogs or favourites. He commented, “Honestly I do not believe in that idea of being favourites or underdogs. You have to play well to win the matches and the tournament. All oppositions will be here to compete hard, we understand that. It gives you a slight advantage while playing at home. That is it. Even though all other teams play in India a lot, they understand the conditions well here. There is no such thing as being favourites. This is the right tournament (Asia Cup) to test ourselves, put ourselves under pressure and respond to it.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced a strong 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 which will begin on August 30 with Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul returning to the squad and Tilak Verma also getting a place in the team
The upcoming Asia Cup will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka which begins from August 30 to September 17. The tournament will likely serve as testing grounds for various players and combinations for the bigger event, the World Cup.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.