The Indian team reached Colombo on Wednesday to take part in the Asia Cup 2023 campaign opener against Pakistan on September 2. Senior players Virat Kohli and allrounder Hardik Pandya were spotted having a conversation post reaching Colombo. Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, and India head coach Rahul Dravid were seen talking and laughing while sitting on the bus.
The Indian team will start their Asia Cup campaign by playing against Pakistan on September 2 but India’s star batter KL Rahul will not be taking part since he is still recovering from the niggle he sustained and he will be under the supervision of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) till September 4 as told by Dravid in a press conference.
"He (KL Rahul) had a good week with us, he is progressing really well on the route that we want to take, but he will be unavailable for the first part of the Kandy leg of the trip. The NCA will be looking after him while we are travelling. We will reassess him on the fourth (September 4) and we will take it from there. The signs are good and he is progressing really well," Dravid said.
Teams like Pakistan, India, and Nepal have been placed in Group A while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka are in Group B. The tournament will be played in a hybrid model with Pakistan hosting four matches across two venues and Sri Lanka hosting the remaining games. After the six group-stage matches, the Super Fours matches will start from September 6. The final of the 2023 Asia Cup will be held between the top two teams at the end of the Super Fours on September 17 in Colombo.