Less than two months remaining for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and there's still a cloud of uncertainty over Indian team's best XI. This is not the first time that the Men in Blue are unsure of what their strongest line-up will be ahead of a marquee, however, the level of uncertainty regarding who is in the probables and who is not is just through the roof. The major discussion in the run-up to the tournament has been about the players who are not with the team rather than those, who are.
Injuries have definitely hampered India's preparations ahead of the World Cup and the Asia Cup with three of their first-choice players unavailable for the majority of the build-up. KL Rahul got his hamstring injured during the IPL and is on the path to recovery following the surgery. Shreyas Iyer's back injury got aggravated during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and he had to go under the knife as well. Iyer is also on the recovery road, but he has a little more distance to cover before he can be declared fully fit.
In the same boat as Iyer was speedtster Jasprit Bumrah whose back injury got aggravated much before. Bumrah last played in September and will be returning to competitive cricket with the Ireland series as captain. His participation in the Asia Cup might depend on how he goes in Ireland but the deadline for the squad announcement is August 12, which gives the selectors and the team management very little wiggle room.
Now, ahead of the squad announcement deadline, there are a couple of key decisions that the Indian team has to make. With Iyer in doubt not just for the Asia Cup but also the World Cup, who gets into the team as his replacement? Does Suryakumar Yadav stay as Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma have decided to give him extra chances despite his disappointing returns or will Sanju Samson be given a look? Samson in the third ODI against West Indies showed the mindset he bats with and the damage he can do when he gets on song but with Ishan Kishan already in the side and KL Rahul returning, Suryakumar might just pip him for a place and Samson might be limited to the reserves.
Another question is regarding the bowling department. Will India continue with all four spinners in the squad or does Yuzvendra Chahal create space for an extra pacer? Six spots have already been booked by the batters with vice-captain Hardik Pandya set to take the seventh. Add Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami to the mix, five more spots are sealed.
You expect Shardul Thakur to be there, given the knack of picking wickets he possesses, Bumrah will be there if he is fully fit and the final spot? Does, Jaydev Unadkat get it or Chahal? Ideally, there should be a left-arm option given how key they have proved to be in white-ball cricket in the recent past but given how surfaces are in Sri Lanka, Chahal might just make the cut despite not playing any of the last six ODIs for India and Unadkat like Samson could be limited in the reserves.
India's likely squad for Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav/Sanju Samson, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal
