Rahul Dravid to be part of Asia Cup selection meeting: Reports

The selectors will meet on Monday (August 21) to pick the squad for the Asia Cup 2023, according to reports. It is also believed that head coach Rahul Dravid will also be part of the meeting, which is a rarity in Indian cricket as none occupying his position have ever been part of a selection meeting before.

It is still unclear if Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma will attend the meeting in person or will join via video conference. India are expected to pick a 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, 15 of whom will also be part of the provisional squad for the World Cup. The last date to submit a provisional squad is September 5, but they can make further tweaks before submitting their final 15 to the ICC by September 27. 

"There is a possibility of picking the provisional 15-member squad for the World Cup, which needs to be submitted by September 5, but one could make changes as the deadline for the final squad is September 27," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. 

"For Asia Cup, a couple of more players could be picked."

The focus of this selection meeting will be on the fitness of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who are believed to be nearing full fitness. According to PTI, Rahul is believed to be nearing full fitness, while a report on ESPNCricinfo stated that Iyer batted 38 overs and fielded for 50 overs in a warm-up match at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bengaluru.

Rahul has been out of action since he picked up a thigh injury in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, while Iyer, who was due to lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), did not even take part in the tournament due to a back injury. 

If they miss out, it could open the doors for the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson or Tilak Varma to stake a claim for a place. 

India begin their Asia Cup 2023 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 2 in Pallekele.