The biggest cricket tournament of the Asian region is set to begin on August 30 and India have announced their 17-member squad for the same on Monday (August 21). Rohit Sharma and co will face Pakistan in their opener of the tournament in Pallekele on September. With a lot of names coming in the Indian team one was missing - Rishabh Pant.
The team has gained a good amount of strength with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul coming back because out of these four, three players are key members of the ODI team.
Fans are desperately waiting for one more name to return in the team and that is Rishabh Pant. When captain Rohit Sharma was asked about Pant's availability for the ODI World Cup 2023 he replied, "Unfortunately, Rishabh is not fit yet. According to today’s fitness report, Rishabh Pant is not ready for Asia Cup 2023 selection."
Recently, Pant batted for the first time since his horrific car accident in December 2022. The wicket-keeper batter had been ruled out of the team since then as he underwent multiple surgeries to recover from the accident. Rishabh Pant was in a cricket field after more than 8 months on India’s Independence Day last week. The video which went viral on social media, Pant could be seen batting comfortably in Bengaluru.
Asia Cup will serve as an important benchmark for India’s preparations for the World Cup starting in October and will also help selectors make choices for the marquee event.
Rohit Sharma confirms Rishabh Pant on 21st August isn't fit to play Asia Cup. pic.twitter.com/Q2mwxjZ9h6
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 21, 2023
India squad Asia Cup 2023
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.
