Will KL Rahul-Shreyas Iyer return?

Injured middle-order duo in spotlight as India’s Asia Cup team expected to be out today; Shardul and Prasidh could fight for one spot in 17-member squad

Shardul Thakur’s better batting ability compared to speedster Prasidh Krishna could prove to be decisive while selecting the extra pacer for World Cup but both are likely to be auditioned if India pick a 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, which is set to be named on Monday.

However, the biggest bone of contention will be whether senior batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, desperate to prove their full fitness from thigh and back injuries respectively, are green-lighted for selection by NCA’s sports science unit headed by Dr Nitin Patel.

Even if one of the two is available, head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma will feel a bit less pressured about the fragile middle-order, the hot talking point at present.

Agarkar to announce squad

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar will announce the squad here on Monday afternoon and there remains a possibility that a 15-member provisional squad for the World Cup could also be decided on the same day.

With the deadline for provisional squad being September 5, the BCCI might wait to announce its squad at a later date.

Also Read: Team India's 'Big Three' and the inevitability of succession

While there remains a school of thought that India should name the likely 15 to feature in the World Cup, the provision to select 17-member squads (as Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan did) gives them a chance to check-out all options before pruning it down to 15.

While Shardul, with 58 wickets, a half-century and a batting strike-rate of 106-plus from 38 ODIs, is expected to get the nod for his happy knack of picking crucial wickets, a fit-again Prasidh will remain in team management’s scheme of things.

Dravid backs Krishna

It must be noted that Dravid had earmarked the lanky Bengaluru speedster back in 2021-22 as one who was supposed to regularly play 50-over cricket for India.

A lower back stress fracture did peg him back for close to a year but he did look fit and hungry during the first T20I against Ireland on Friday.

There will be five spinners in contention for the World Cup berth—wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal along with three finger spinners—left-arm orthodox Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

While Ashwin for his experience in Indian conditions should have been seriously considered, not being kept back for the West Indies ODIs does make one think if he actually can make it to the white ball squad.

Kuldeep, on form and in terms of skill sets, is India’s No.  1 ODI spinner at the moment and an automatic choice.

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