Rohit Sharma to lead India squad for Asia Cup

NEW DELHI (AFP): India’s Rohit Sharma has been named captain for the Asia Cup, with all-rounder Hardik Pandya as his deputy for the last major tournament ahead of the cricket World Cup.

The selectors in New Delhi on Monday announced the return of K.L. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer after long injury layoffs in the 17-member squad for the six-nation Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and Pakistan beginning on August 30.

Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and rookie Prasidh Krishna, who returned after recovering from back injuries during the ongoing T20 series against Ireland, have also been selected for the longer white ball format ahead of the World Cup in India from October 5.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K.L. Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna