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Asia Cup: India’s Head Coach Dravid Tests COVID-19 Positive

India's head coach Rahul Dravid (Photo courtesy twitter @BCCI)

India’s head coach Rahul Dravid has tested positive for COVID-19 and has not travelled with the team to Dubai for the Asia Cup. He is kept under supervision and will join the team once he recuperates.

“Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid has tested positive for COVID-19 in a routine test conducted ahead of the team’s departure to the UAE for Asia Cup 2022. Dravid is under the supervision of the BCCI medical team and has mild symptoms. He will join the team once he returns with a negative COVID-19 report. The rest of the team will assemble in the UAE on August 23, 2022,” the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) said in a statement.

Dravid was not part of the Indian team that recently routed Zimbabwe in the ODI series. Former cricketer VVS Laxman stepped in as the makeshift coach and he might continue in this role for the Asia Cup as well, if Dravid doesn’t recover in time.

India will cross swords with arch-rivals Pakistan in their first match of the tournament on August 28. Rohit Sharma is leading the team for the Asia Cup, while former captain Virat Kohli, who is grappling with patchy form, has made a comeback to the squad after a break. Though Jasprit Bumrah is out of the tournament due to injury, India’s bowling still has immense depth.

At present, India seem to be the strongest Asian team in the T20I format. They’ve got the right mix of experience and youth, along with a vast talent pool. Such is the bench strength of the Indian team that there are more than two players vying for one spot.

India’s squad for the Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

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