With India qualifying for the finals in the Asia Cup 2023, the team management is likely to rest some of their playing 11 in the Super Fours match on Friday.
Players to be rested In IND-BAN clash in the Asia Cup
India has played only three matches in the Asia Cup and will be facing Bangladesh in the last match of the Super Fours in the Asia Cup. With the victory against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, India has qualified for the finals and the side.
On this occasion, India is planning to give chances to some reserves to shine in the match against Bangladesh as the spots in the Finals have been confirmed.
Shreyas Iyer had batted for almost 20 minutes at the team’s optional nets on Thursday morning. But he is not at the peak of his performance and will be likely to be sidelined in the match against Bangladesh.
But there is a little chance that he will be placed in the playing 11 squad of the final with Kl Rahul securing his position in the squad. Not only Shreyas Iyer but also Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya will be also rested. So there will openings for Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna.
Including the match on Friday, India has only five ODI matches before the World Cup Warm-up games. It will be not a surprise if India wants to play the upcoming matches with full strength. The selection between Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur for the no.8 position will depend on the nature of the pitch before the toss.
On the other hand, Bangladesh will be hoping to end their Asia Cup Campaign with a victory against India. But it will be difficult as many players were unavailable in the tournament.
When asked about the changes, Paras Mhambrey said, “We have an opportunity to give the rest of the players a chance to play. So definitely it is open. I think the captain will announce it tomorrow (Friday). But it is an option as we have already qualified (for the final), so we will see tomorrow,” the India bowling coach told the media on Thursday in Colombo.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka are playing the 5th match of the Super Fours which will decide the second finalist of the continental event. With Pakistan batting first they scored 252 runs on 42 overs losing seven wickets.
The finals of the Asia Cup 2023 will be held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 17th September.
