Former India World Cup winner Madan Lal expresses concern over KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer's fitness ahead of Asia Cup

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), on Monday, announced the India squad for the 2023 Asia Cup, which is set to begin on August 30.

The Asia Cup squad is particularly relevant this year as the ODI World Cup follows soon after, and the squad composition will remain much the same.

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Both KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were named in the squad, even though they are undergoing rehabilitation programmes from long-term injuries, but another talking point was the exclusion of senior spinners R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Former India World Cup winner Madan Lal expressed concerns over the fitness of Rahul and Iyer.

What did Madan Lal say about Rahul and Iyer?

In an interview with the ANI, Madan Lal raised concerns over the fitness of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. Rahul suffered a thigh injury during the IPL 2023, while Shreyas was forced out with a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

More or less, the team is the same which all of us were expecting. But the only worrying point is the fitness level. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer had not played matches. Playing in a big game like Asia Cup or World Cup is totally different, there is a lot going on.

#WATCH | On Team India for Asia Cup, former Indian Cricketer Madan Lal says, "More or less, the team is the same which all of us were expecting. But the only worrying point is the fitness level. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer had not played matches. Playing in a big game like Asia Cup… pic.twitter.com/gDjg9vp6FI

— ANI (@ANI) August 21, 2023

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Why was Madan Lal surprised after seeing the squad?

Madan Lal was also surprised over the exclusion of the spin-duo Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin.

I was a little surprised about Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashwin is not there either. As a selector, I will always go for the best.

MORE: Does Asia Cup snub end World Cup hopes for Chahal and Ashwin?

Full Indian squad for Asia Cup 2023

1. Rohit Sharma (captain)
2. Shubman Gill
3. Virat Kohli
4. Shreyas Iyer
5. KL Rahul
6. Suryakumar Yadav
7. Tilak Varma
8. Ishan Kishan
9. Hardik Pandya (vice-captain)
10. Ravindra Jadeja
11. Axar Patel
12. Shardul Thakur
13. Jasprit Bumrah
14. Mohammad Shami
15. Mohammed Siraj
16. Kuldeep Yadav
17. Prasidh Krishna.
18. Sanju Samson (reserve)

MORE: Yuzvendra Chahal shares cryptic social media post after Asia Cup snub