Despite their dominant performance against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup Final at R.Premadasa Stadium, India’s squad for the upcoming home World Cup campaign is yet to be finalized due to injuries to key players. However, Captain Rohit Sharma is optimistic about the team’s health status ahead of the tournament.
Recovery Progress of Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer
Rohit Sharma has provided an update on the fitness of Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer, both of whom are expected to be fully fit well before India’s first match on October 8. Patel, who is currently nursing a wrist injury and a minor tear in his left quadricep, is the most seriously injured player in the team. He missed the latter part of India’s victorious Asia Cup campaign due to these injuries.
Despite Patel’s injuries, Sharma is confident that the spin-bowling all-rounder will be ready for the World Cup, even though he may miss part of the lead-in series against Australia. “We have to see how that injury progresses. Some guys recover quickly, and I hope that’s the case with him,” Sharma said after India’s ten-wicket win over Sri Lanka.
Shreyas Iyer’s Fitness Status
Shreyas Iyer, who was sidelined from the Asia Cup due to minor back spasms, is almost fully recovered, according to Sharma. “Shreyas was not available for the final because certain parameters were kept for him to tick off. I think today he completed most of it. I should say he is alright 99 per cent as of now,” Sharma stated.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s World Cup Prospects
Sharma also discussed the World Cup prospects of Ravichandran Ashwin, the spin-bowling all-rounder who was not selected as Patel’s replacement for the Asia Cup final. Despite this, Sharma confirmed that Ashwin is still being considered for a spot in India’s World Cup squad.
Sharma explained that Washington Sundar was chosen over Ashwin due to his availability at short notice, as he had been preparing for India’s Asian Games campaign in Hangzhou, China. “As a spinner-all-rounder, Ashwin is in line, I have been talking to him on the phone. The injury happened to Axar at the last minute. Washington was available, so he had to come and perform the role for us,” Sharma clarified.
Sharma concluded by emphasizing that all players are aware of their roles and are kept in the loop regarding team decisions.