Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will be leading the side for the third time in the Asia Cup. In the past, the Men in Blue won their seventh title in 2018 under his leadership. Sharma is in Bengaluru for the seven-day preparation camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) ahead of the Asia Cup 2023. The 36-year-old was spotted at the Mumbai airport to go to Bengaluru, reporters were seen in a video asking questions about the continental championship, to which he replied that surely we would win the competition.
The main motive of the Indian team will be to prepare for the ODI World Cup 2023 by playing in the Asia Cup. A 17-member travelling squad, where Sanju Samson has been named the reserve player. The 16th edition of the continental championship will be hosted by the two countries co-jointly, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that India will be playing their opening game against arch-rivals Pakistan in Sri Lanka on September 2.
“Rohit sir, Asia Cup ka wait rahega (Rohit sir, we will be waiting for the Asia Cup)," said the reporter to the Indian skipper.
“Jeetenge (We will win)," answered Sharma.
Here is the viral video of Rohit Sharma answering reporters on Asia Cup 2023-
Rohit Sharma Spotted a Mumbai Airport.
— Shubham 🇮🇳 (@DankShubham) August 23, 2023
Asia Cup ka Wait hai ...#RohitSharma𓃵 pic.twitter.com/sseOPOvvK3
The Rohit Sharma-led side is going with two spinners for the continental championship starting on August 30 - Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Yuzvendra Chahal was snubbed from the Asia Cup squad. Chahal last played an ODI at the start of the year against New Zealand, whereas his last game for the Men in Blue was in the recently concluded T2OI series vs. West Indies, where the Indian side lost the five-game series by 2-3.
In the tournament, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal are taking part. All six teams are divided into two groups, A and B. India, Pakistan, and Nepal are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh are on the opposite table. This year's Asia Cup fixtures are scheduled to be in the 50-over format.