Tilak Varma Likely to Be Named Among Reserve Players for World Cup 2023
September 28, 2023
Introduction
Tilak Varma, the newest member of the India Cricket Team, is set to be named among the reserve players for the upcoming World Cup 2023. This decision comes as a result of Shreyas Iyer’s back problem, and it means that Varma will have to miss out on the Asian Games 2023.
Varma Misses Out on Asian Games
Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma, the team management, have decided to keep Tilak Varma in the squad for the World Cup instead of sending him to the Asian Games. This decision is due to Shreyas Iyer’s recurring back problem, which has raised concerns about his fitness. The team management is keen on having an explosive left-hander in the middle-order, and Varma fits the bill perfectly.
Reserve Players for World Cup 2023
- Tilak Varma
- Sanju Samson
- Prasidh Krishna
- Yuzvendra Chahal
Tilak Varma’s inclusion among the reserve players for the World Cup is a testament to his impressive performance since making his debut in the West Indies. In just 7 matches, Varma has scored a half-century and has an average of 34.80 with a strike rate of 138.09.
Conflict in Schedule
The Asian Games 2023 quarterfinals are scheduled to begin on October 3, with the semifinals and finals taking place on October 5 and October 7 respectively. On the other hand, the World Cup 2023 opening match for India against Australia is on October 8. If Varma accompanies the squad to the Asian Games, he will miss the opening match of the World Cup.
Team Management’s Decision
The India team management considers the Asian Games as a lower priority and does not want to risk the fitness of Tilak Varma. Sanju Samson is another batting cover, but it is uncertain whether he will be sent to the Asian Games instead. Additionally, Samson would be the third-choice wicketkeeper-batter after KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan.
Standby Batters for Asian Games 2023
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Deepak Hooda
- Sai Sudarshan
If Tilak Varma is unable to participate in the Asian Games, one of these three standby batters will travel with the main squad.
India Squad for Asian Games 2023
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Rahul Tripathi
- Tilak Varma
- Rinku Singh
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Washington Sundar
- Shahbaz Ahmed
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Avesh Khan
- Arshdeep Singh
- Mukesh Kumar
- Shivam Mavi
- Shivam Dube
- Prabhsimran Singh (wk)
Standby: Yash Thakur, Sai Kishore, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudarsan.
India Squad for World Cup 2023
- Batters: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav
- WKs: Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul
- Seam all-rounders: Hardik Pandya (VC), Shardul Thakur
- Spin all-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel
- Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj
- Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav
