Xtra Time Web Desk: The Indian cricket team will undergo a short camp at the National Cricket Academy from August 24-29 before travelling to Sri Lanka for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will join the camp after a two-week break. Both Rohit and Kohli has returned from the tour to West Indies and are not part of the ongoing T20I series against Windies and Ireland.
KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer will also attend the short preparatory camp at the NCA. Rahul is on road to full recovery and is expected to be in the Asia Cup squad. Shreyas is also recovering but the selectors will take a final call only after assessing his progress in the camp.
Rahul and Iyer have been recovering from their respective injuries that ruled them out of IPL 2023 and the World Test Championship final. Rahul had undergone surgery for a hamstring in UK in June, while Iyer had an operation for back stress fracture in the UK in April. Both players have been undergoing rehabilitation at the NCA under the supervision of the medical staff.
The Asia Cup, co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to take place from August 30 to September 17. India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan and Nepal, while Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will follow a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games.
The Men in Blue will begin their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy, followed by matches against Nepal on September 4 at the same venue and Super Fours from September 6 onwards. The final will be played on September 17 in Colombo.