You need flexibility, every player must bat anywhere in batting order: Rohit on Indian squad for Asia Cup
Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma says, 'Message is conveyed, every player must...'
Indian captain Rohit Sharma attended the press conference on Sunday in New Delhi for the Asia Cup 2023 squad announcement. With BCCI naming a 17-man team for the six-team tournament starting August 30, a few old faces returned to the ODI setup for the first time in many months, including KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah.
The inclusion of Suryakumar Yadav and the introduction of young Tilak Varma in the squad add value, and Rohit said the message is clear to all batters that everyone must be flexible in batting at any position, even if it means coming out of their comfort zone spot.
From having no one to fill the vacant number four and five slots to roping in four players for those places, the Asia Cup squad announcement comes as a success at the right time for India. The presence of keeper-batter Ishan Kishan as a backup to Rahul ticks another box, as the top three remain the same – Rohit, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli.
ALSO READ:KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer return as India name 17-man squad for Asia Cup 2023
For the lower order, India has all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, while Axar Patel is picked as the spare spin option.
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Speaking to the media after the Asia Cup squad announcement, Rohit said, "One thing I want in this team is to make sure everyone is okay to bat anywhere.”
"You need flexibility, guys who can step up at any position. No one should say, 'I'm good at this position or I'm good at that position'. You want guys to be able to bat anywhere, that's the message conveyed to every individual. Not now, but over the last 3-4 years.
"I know it's tough for guys on the outside to understand why a guy who bats at six is batting at four, but the message has been given. You don't want to be handicapped or stuck with one player batting in one position.
"Having said that, you want to get the best out of players in certain positions. All seven-eight [positions] are open to anyone, that's the message we have sent out for so many years now,” Rohit added.
India overlook Chahal for Asia Cup
While most of the picks were always on the cards, India opted not to pick either a finger spinner or a leg-spinner, with Kuldeep Yadav as the only specialist spinner in the 17-man team.
The exclusion of Yuzvendra Chahal from the line-up surprised fans.
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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