Reports | India to send second-string squad for Asia Cup if tournament goes ahead
If the Asia Cup goes ahead in June end, as proposed in the recent ACC meeting, India will reportedly send a second-string side for the event with major players being in England for the next series. India have a packed calendar following the IPL 2021 with South Africa and New Zealand visiting.
The Asia Cup 2020 was postponed to 2021 last year due to the pandemic and Pakistan traded the hosting rights with Sri Lanka due to the diplomatic tension between neighbors India. India's qualification for the World Test Championship final made things quite interesting, with Ehsan Mani conceding there would be a significant impact on the Asia Cup schedule, but now it seems like BCCI and ACC are coming to terms on the issue.
ACC, which is headed by Jay Shah, might now go ahead with the tournament in the fag end of June with key Indian players reportedly staying back for the England Test series in August. In that scenario, the BCCI is exploring the option of sending a second-string Indian side to Sri Lanka with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya set to be involved in Test duty.
"There's no other choice. We can't risk the preparation for the series in England. And cricketers can't twice undergo quarantine. If the Asia Cup happens, India will have no option but to send a second-string squad," top sources confirmed to Times of India.
This year's Asia Cup will be played in T20 format due to 2021 being a World T20 year and that will also act as a testing ground for the Indian team ahead of the mega event at home.