Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer likely to be available for 2023 Asia Cup – Reports

Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer are reportedly likely to be available for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup. The duo recently underwent back surgeries and were subsequently ruled out of IPL 2023 and the WTC final. They are undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for their recoveries.

As per ESPNCricinfo, the NCA medical staff are optimistic about Iyer and Bumrah’s participation in the continental tournament.

For the uninitiated, Bumrah underwent surgery in New Zealand in March to recover from his recurring back injury. The 29-year-old has not played competitive cricket since the second T20I against Australia in September 2022.

The report added that Bumrah has started light bowling workload and is mainly doing physiotherapy.

Iyer, on the other hand, underwent surgery for his lower back in London after the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He had been suffering from a recurring lower back injury since India’s tour of Bangladesh in December last year.

Meanwhile, the BCCI is making every effort possible to fast-track Rishabh Pant’s rehabilitation ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. The 25-year-old survived a car accident in December last year.

The left-handed batter was then admitted to two different hospitals for over one month to recover from multiple injuries. Team India badly missed his services during the World Test Championship (WTC) final, where they lost to Australia by 209 runs.

The wicketkeeper-batter is currently undergoing rehab at the NCA under the supervision of its head VVS Laxman.

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2023 Asia Cup set to kickstart on August 31

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has officially announced the dates and venues of the 2023 Asia Cup. The highly anticipated tournament will be held from August 31 to September 17. Thirteen ODI games will be played in this tournament that comprises India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal.

The tournament will be held in a hybrid model. Pakistan will host Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal before traveling to Sri Lanka for the remaining seven games. The six teams have been divided into three each in the two groups, with the top two sides qualifying for the Super 4. India and Pakistan are drawn with Nepal in Group A.

The Dasun Shanaka-led Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs to lift the last edition of the Asia Cup (2022) in the UAE.