KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer make it to India's Asia Cup squad; Sanju Samson ‘reserve player’
New Delhi, Aug 21: India's chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar on Monday announced the 17-member Asia Cup squad, and said that KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer have been selected after recovering in time from a thigh and back injury respectively.
The squad also includes left-hander Tilak Varma, who hasn't made his ODI debut yet. Seamers Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, who made their international comebacks during the ongoing T20I series in Ireland after recovering from back surgeries, have also been selected.
Mohammed Shami makes a comeback after being rested for the entire tour of West Indies, while Mohammed Siraj and allrounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur complete the pace attack.
Leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been dropped from the squad, with Kuldeep Yadav preferred as the wrist-spinner along with allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Ishan Kishan was chosen over Sanju Samson as the second wicketkeeper in the squad, after Rahul. Samson, however, will travel to Sri Lanka as a reserve player.
India squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna