New Delhi, India

Team India is set to kick off their campaign in the forthcoming Asia Cup 2023 edition on September 02 in Pallekele, Sri Lanka. The continental tournament gets underway on August 30 in Multan, Pakistan as the multi-nation competition will be jointly held in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The Asia Cup is vital for India as it will be followed by the home ODI World Cup 2023 and, hence, it provides a great chance for the Men in Blue to finalise their team combination. The return of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna has also bolstered India's squad. 

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On Tuesday (August 30), head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Rahul will be missing the first two games in the Asia Cup, as a precaution due to a niggle, whereas Iyer is fully fit. On the other hand, Bumrah will also mark his return to the 50-over format after a long gap. He recently made his international return during the Ireland T20Is and will now prepare for the forthcoming ODI World Cup, starting on October 05 in Ahmedabad, India. Before India's Asia Cup opener, Dravid confirmed that India will 'ease Bumrah into the scheme of things slowly'.

"It is great to have them back. Jasprit is someone who we have missed a lot, over the last two years he has not played too much games," Dravid said while addressing the press conference on Tuesday. "We will ease him into it slowly. It was nice for him to get those overs in the tour of Ireland. We have a whole month to build him up before the World Cup. It gives us more options in the pace bowling department," Dravid added.

Also read: Shreyas Iyer is fully fit, confirms head coach Rahul Dravid ahead of India's Asia Cup opener vs Pakistan

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Bumrah is extremely vital to India's plans for October-November's home ODI World Cup. His form and fitness will be essential and, hence, will be closely monitored throughout the continental tournament. The 29-year-old made a strong statement in the Ireland T20Is, early this month. Leading the side, he guided a second-stringed India to a 2-0 series win and ended with the Player-of-the-Series award with four scalps in two games, with the finale being a complete washout.

India squad for Asia Cup 2023

Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Prasidh Krishna

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