India squad for Asia Cup 2023: 'Tilak showed potential in West Indies', Rohit, Agarkar justify picks

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said both the Indian team leadership as well as the selection panel were left impressed by Tilak Varma’s performances in his debut series against West Indies and decided to hand him a maiden ODI call-up for the Asia Cup as a result.

Varma, who currently is playing the T20I series in Ireland under Jasprit Bumrah’s leadership, got his international career off to a rollicking start in the five-match T20I series in the Caribbean and the United States, scoring a fiery 39 on debut and following it up with scores of 51 and 49 not out. Before the West Indies call-up, he had been one of the key performers with the bat for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Monday, both Varma as well as MI teammate Suryakumar Yadav were named in India’s 17-man squad for the continental tournament that gets underway on 30 August in Pakistan before moving to Sri Lanka.

“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,” Agarkar told reporters during a press conference in New Delhi on Monday that was also attended by skipper Rohit Sharma.

Though they’ve been included in the 17-man squad that also lists Prasidh Krishna as one of the pace options besides Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, Varma and Surya might find it difficult to get a place in the XI with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer also getting picked after a lengthy absence due to injuries.

Iyer had been out of action since the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a back injury while Rahul injured his thigh while leading the Lucknow Super Giants in early May. Both players underwent surgery in London followed by rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

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Agarkar added that while Iyer has been declared fully fit, Rahul is expected to miss a match or two before making his first ODI appearance since the three-match series against Australia in March. The cricketer-turned-chief selector added that Rahul will also be the designated wicketkeeper-batter for the tournament, meaning there might be a direct shootout for a middle-order slot between Varma and Ishan Kishan.

“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.

“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,” Agarkar said during the press conference at the national capital.

Skipper Rohit, meanwhile, emphasised on the players exhibiting flexibility to bat at different positions depending on match situation and conditions even if they have been playing at a particular spot in recent months.

The Men in Blue had been in experimental mode in recent assignments, particularly in the Caribbean where Kishan — a middle-order candidate — opened alongside Gill and excelled in that role. All-rounder Axar Patel, who usually bats lower down the order, batted at No 4 during the third ODI against West Indies.

“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,” Rohit said.