India's Asia Cup Squad Highlights: Jasprit Bumrah reportedly makes himself available for selection

According to The Economic Times, Sony Pictures Networks India – which holds media rights for the tournament till 2031 – has priced TV Ads for India matches between Rs 14 lakh to Rs 16 lakh per 10 seconds.

There were reports of the Men in Blue boycotting their match against Pakistan keeping the Pahalgam terror attack as well as Operation Sindoor in mind. The Indo-Pak matches, however, will go ahead as planned with the arch-rivals potentially meeting each other thrice.

The Asia Cup has been played in the T20 format only twice till date. India had won the inaugural edition in 2016 ahead of the T20 World Cup, defeating hosts Bangladesh in the final in Mirpur.

The only other edition took place in the UAE in 2022, with Sri Lanka defeating Pakistan in the final in Dubai to win their first major trophy in nearly a decade.

According to a former national selector, all-rounder Hardik Pandya – who last represented India in the ICC Champions Trophy final against New Zealand on 9 March – is an automatic pick in the top five, besides being a valuable bowling option as a seamer.

“If all are fit and available, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (batter-keeper), Tilak Varma, skipper Surya Kumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya are automatic selections in top-five,” the ex-selector told PTI.

Bhajji’s squad, instead, includes Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener along with Abhishek Sharma, with one of KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper’s slot. Interestingly, it also includes Shreyas Iyer and Riyan Parag.

Harbhajan Singh’s picks for the Asia Cup: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul/Rishabh Pant Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh.

Here’s the squad that India had assembled for the 2022 Asia Cup in the UAE, the last time the continental event took place in the 20-over format:

Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan. Standbys: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Deepak Chahar.