India squad for Asia Cup 2023: KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma named in 17-member squad

14:20 (IST)

That concludes the press conference with Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar. We leave you with the 17-player Asia Cup squad.

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

14:14 (IST)

That concludes the press conference with Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar. We leave you with the 17-player Asia Cup squad.

14:10 (IST)

Ajit Agarkar: "Injuries are part and parcel of the sport. Bumrah and Krishna have worked hard, KL has a niggle but nothing to do with the injury he had. Based on what we're told, he will be okay soon. Shreyas Iyer is fit and has played three matches at the NCA. We have got a month and half to get them ready and playing."

14:10 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "We have a camp in Bangalore and it is happening after a long time to have some skill-based training. It is not just Pakistan, Sri Lanka won the last Asia Cup. We have to prepare for everyone, not just for one team."

14:09 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "Rishabh Pant unfortunately is not ready. As of today, he is not ready for the Asia Cup."

14:02 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "Consultations happen with physios and trainers on managing players and their fitness. Based on that we decide players, rotate, and it is based on information we get from them. We have a good team in terms of that."

14:02 (IST)

Ajit Agarkar: "The dew will play a part. It is more about finding the balance in the team. A good bowler is a good bowler regardless. You want to try and get the best bowler, get the best balance and we have included that in the 17-member squad."

13:56 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "Injuries are part and parcel of the game. England, Australia have injuries too. We try and do the best we can. Get others to fit in and do the role. You can only hope for the best. Now that they're back, we want to look at the positives."

"We had a deep discussion about an off and leg spinner. Where it all boils down to is about someone who can bat at No 8 and No 9. Axar has had a good run, batted well in white ball cricket. With him being there, it allows us to have a left-hander, to have up the order, and even create the batting depth."

"We talked about Ashwin and Washington. Like with Chahal, we had to make the tough decision of not including Chahal also. But no door is closed for anyone. Chahal has played a lot of white baal cricket, if we think we need him, we will find a way to squeeze him in. Same for Ashwin and Washington"

13:51 (IST)

Ajit Agarkar: "Rohit is not a bad player. Shubman has had a great year. Shikhar Dhawan has been a great player for India. He played last in December. At the moment, these are our preferred openers. When cutting things down to 15, someone has to miss out"

13:51 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "It is very important for Team India to have flexibility to bat wherever. We want guys to be comfortable playing at any position. This was a message passed on four years ago. We have a discussion that a player should be willing to bat anywhere. It is not like we wake up on the day of the match and share this is where you're batting."

13:50 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "It is very important for Team India to have flexibility to bat wherever. We want guys to be comfortable playing at any position. This was a message passed on four years ago. We have a discussion that a player should be willing to bat anywhere. It is not like we wake up on the day of the match and share this is where you're batting."

13:47 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "2019 was a different team which could bat and bowl. Now we have a different team and different options. We can't create players overnight"

13:47 (IST)

Ajit Agarkar: "KL Rahul plays as a wicketkeeper-batter. Aim and hope is to have him fit from the first game. It is a setback for him. He is an important player, needless to say"

13:45 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "We want guys who can bat at No 4. It is not just about one position. It is about the entire unit coming together and getting the job done. Guys have been put under pressure. We have had injuries along the line, have been forced to rotate. Missed on players in workload management. We have to see what combination works. We tried Axar, have him play freely. We have 9 ODIs before we play our first game in the ODI World Cup and time to make players to make this position their own"

13:45 (IST)

Agarkar: "Shreyas Iyer is declared fully fit but KL Rahul has a niggle. We're expecting both to be fully fit. KL Rahul could be fit by the second or third game. On both, we have time for the World Cup squad"

13:42 (IST)

Ajit Agarkar: "Tilak Varma is part of the Asian Games squad. We saw potential in West Indies. We want to give him exposure, he is left-handed so that helps. When the World Cup comes in, we can decide on how things go"

13:41 (IST)

Rohit Sharma: "(Leadup to the World Cup) I don't believe in the tags of favourites, underdogs. It is all about going in, winning games. We have to play well. All are here to compete hard and we understand that. It can give you advantage to play at home but nothing more than that. The outside teams now play in India a lot so they are used to the conditions also. As far as our prep is concerned, this is the right tournament for us to go in and test ourselves, respond to pressure. That is how it was previously as well."

13:38 (IST)

Ajit Agarkar: "We picked these 17-18 guys and the ODI World Cup will be around these guys only. We have time till 5th to decide the actual squad. It is obviously going to be around these guys"

13:30 (IST)