India’s squad for Asia Cup 2022 announced; KL Rahul, Virat Kohli return

Team India announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 on Monday. Skipper, Rohit Sharma will lead the side, while KL Rahul makes his return to the Indian team. He will assume the vice-captaincy duties and is likely to open the batting with Rohit Sharma.

Despite the lack of runs, the selectors have continued to put faith in Virat Kohli and have included him in the 15-member squad. He will be one of the players to watch out for. India boast of a power-packed middle-order, comprising the likes of Deepak Hooda, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rishabh Pant.

Notably, Shreyas Iyer hasn’t found a place in India’s 15-member squad for the tournament. Veteran wicket-keeper batter, Dinesh Karthik will don the finisher’s role alongside Hardik Pandya.

Interestingly, India have opted to go with four spinners in their squad, namely Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ravindra Jadeja. What come as a big blow though is Jasprit Bumrah’s unavailability.

Bumrah has been recovering from a back injury and thus has been ruled out of the tournament. In his absence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have the responsibility to bowl crucial overs in the game. Young pacers such as Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have been included in the side on the back of their stellar performances for India and in the Indian T20 League over the last couple of years.

Unfortunately, Sanju Samson hasn’t found a place in the team along with Shreyas Iyer. Both haven’t done anything substantial with the bat in the recent past and thus has been omitted. Bangalore fast bowler, Harshal Patel has also been ruled out due to an injury. He is currently undergoing rehab at the NCA.

Here’s a look at India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2022:

Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(Wk), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.

Backup: Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel.