Sourav Ganguly revealed his favourite to win the much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in the upcoming edition of Asia Cup 2023
(credit: twitter)
New Delhi: As India’s Asia Cup-bound players begin their six-day conditioning camp ahead of the six-team event, Team India’s former captain Sourav Ganguly gave his verdict on the much-awaited clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
Ganguly went with a safe answer and said “Both India and Pakistan are good cricket teams. The team that plays well will win. I have no favourites…”
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.
Sourav Ganguly also addressed management’s decision to pick Axar Patel over Yuzvendra Chahal and the return of Jasprit Bumrah.
“With time his (Jasprit Bumrah) fitness will get better….You can only have three spinners and I think they have done the right thing by picking Axar (Patel), he can bat,” said Ganguly.
India is expected to leave for Colombo on August 30 from Bengaluru to participate in the Asia Cup. They will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2, before playing Nepal on September 4. Both of India’s Group A matches will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
The top two sides from Groups A and B will progress to the Super Fours, where they will play three more games at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, which will also host the final on September 17.
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
Reserve player: Sanju Samson
Pakistan squad for Asia Cup: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim.
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