Indian Cricket

Asia Cup 2023: Best Predicted Squad Players List for Team India

Jasprit Bumrah set to return as we look at the confirmed best squad and players list for Team India for Asia Cup 2023. 

After a successful 3-match ODI series vs West Indies by winning 2-1, Team India’s ODI team have their eyes on their next big assignment, the Asia Cup 2023. The Asia Cup 2023 begins on August 30, and Team India shall play with their full-strength squad as a prelude to the ODI World Cup 2023.

The West Indies ODI series saw Team India playing almost a second-fiddle squad. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma did a lot of experiments during the series with a lot of players being rested or injured for the tour. However, Team India may not experiment with a big tournament like Asia Cup. 

But the main question that Team India have in front of them is the availability of their key players. A lot of players are still recovering from injury, and it’s a big task ahead of the selectors. So, with the knowledge we have in front of us, let’s look at the confirmed best 15-member squad list for Team India for Asia Cup 2023.  

Asia Cup 2023 Best 15-Member Squad List for Team India:

Batters and WKs: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk) & Sanju Samson (wk)

Team India’s biggest headache would be the availability of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer for Asia Cup 2023. If these two become fit in a month’s time, then they should straight away walk into the squad as the first-choice middle-order batter and wicket-keeper respectively. 

In that case, Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson will have to make way for Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul for the Asia Cup 2023 squad. But things do not look too optimistic from Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul’s perspectives. Had they been in contention for Asia Cup 2023, they would have been a part of the Ireland T20 series squad, just like Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna.

Given that neither of these two is a part of the Ireland T20 series squad, it is a clear indicator that Team India are considering Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson as a part of the squad for the role of finisher and wicket-keeper middle-order batter respectively for Asia Cup 2023.

Apart from these two, Ishan Kishan is expected to play the role of a backup wicket-keeper opener. Kishan impressed with a player of the series performance against West Indies, so is a sure-shot player in the final 15. Whereas Team India’s top 3 should comprise of Captain Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli.

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya & Ravindra Jadeja

For the All-rounders, India have only three options, and with the conditions expected to assist spinners, India should play both Jadeja as well as Axar Patel. Both Axar and Jadeja play a similar role, but with a lack of options, these two should play. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya shall be the only pace all-rounder in the squad. 

Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav & Yuzvendra Chahal

Coming to the spin department, the KulCha combination should be the first-choice spinners for Team India. Both have been playing regular ODI for Team India under Rohit Sharma, and there doesn’t seem to be a possibility of having Ravichandran Ashwin in the squad. These two shall have good support from Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.  

Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj & Shardul Thakur

For the pace department, India would be excited with the return of their leading pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah is fit, and is also a part of Team India’s squad for the Ireland T20 series. The series will act as a good comeback practice for Bumrah. He will later join Team India’s squad for Asia Cup 2023.

Other than Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj should also return for Asia Cup 2023 after resting for the ODI series vs West Indies. But both are India’s key pacers, and Team India would need them for Asia Cup 2023. Other than these three, Shardul Thakur should play the role of the fourth pacer in the squad. 

Asia Cup 2023 – Best Squad List for Team India:

BattersRohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav & Virat Kohli

WKs: Ishan Kishan & Sanju Samson

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya & Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur & Yuzvendra Chahal

Talking about standbys, India should have Ruturaj Gaikwad as the backup opener, Umran Malik as the backup pacer, and most likely Ravi Bishnoi as the backup spinner. These three may be a part of reserves for Team India, and will only fly to Sri Lanka if any of the existing 15 players get injured.    

So, that’s about the final squad for Team India for Asia Cup 2023. Overall, 13 players are sure shot to be in the final 15. The only debatable options shall be based on the injury update for Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. If both are fit, they shall get a nod ahead of Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson. 

Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the best Asia Cup 2023 squad for Team India? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com


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