No place for Rahul or Samson: Experts including Ravi Shastri pick India's Asia Cup squad

India is set to play in the Asia Cup 2023, and the tournament will act as a last-preparation battle ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. India will kick off their campaign against their arch-rival Pakistan on September 2, 2023. However, the team will have to be more conscious in order to bounce back from the T20I series loss against the West Indies.

3 things you need to know

• India recently lost the T20I series to the West Indies by 3-2 
• The 2023 Asia Cup will be played in the ODI format as a preparation for the Asian teams for the ODI World Cup
• On August 30, 2023, the Asia Cup will begin

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Will KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer return to the Indian squad? 

As Asia Cup is less than 2 weeks away, there are worries about whether star batters KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will be able to play because of their ongoing injuries. Both players have been very important to India's batting order, but they haven't played competitive cricket in a long time, so it's not clear how well they'll be able to jump back in.

KL Rahul is the first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman right now, but Ishan Kishan has taken his place while he is out. Kishan has done well in India's ODIs against the West Indies. In all three games, he has scored a half-century. Ravi Shastri, the former head coach of the Indian cricket team, thinks that Rahul's return may not promise him a spot in the playing XI. Shastri says that it's important to check each player's current form and match fitness, especially in events like the Asia Cup, where the stakes are high.

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Ravi Shastri makes a huge statement ahead of the Asia Cup 2023

Talking to the Star Sports, the former head coach said in a discussion with experts:

See when you're talking of a player (KL Rahul) who's not played and is recovering from injury. To think of him in the XI of the Asia Cup, you're asking a little too much of the player himself. And then you're talking keeping. When a guy comes from an injury, the range of movement and things of that sort, so that's a no no.

According to Ravi Shastri, Tilak Varma has rejuvenated the team with his spectacular performances. Ravi Shastri believes a powerful left-hander in the middle order is ideal for Team India in the Asia Cup.

Ravi Shastri, Sandip Patil, and MSK Prasad selected the 15-man Asia Cup 2023 roster, excluding KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. There may be qualms about including Tilak Varma. He is talented, but his lack of international experience could put the team at risk. The experts have included Yuzvendra Chahal despite his poor performance in the T20I series. On Sri Lanka's slow wickets, Chahal's spinning might help him shine again.

Predicted Squad by the experts:

Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.