On Saturday, August 30, Indian cricket players Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill arrived at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for preseason and fitness tests. Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah were also in attendance at the cutting-edge location for the event.
Siraj and Rohit are not included in India’s 2025 Asia Cup team.
After winning the T20 World Cup the previous year, Rohit retired from Twenty20 Internationals, and Siraj was left off of the Asia Cup roster.
Jitesh Sharma, a batsman and wicketkeeper for the Asia Cup team, has spent the last three days at the CoE. However, certain players are participating in the current Duleep Trophy, including Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.
Sarfaraz Khan, Shardul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are also at the CoE and will represent West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final the following week. One of the five standbys for the forthcoming Asia Cup is Jaiswal.
Regarding the semi-finals, South Zone will need to select a new captain. Tilak Varma will not be able to play because he is part of the Asia Cup squad. Mohammed Azharuddeen, the vice-captain for Kerala, is reportedly going to be elevated to the position of captain. But there are also seasoned applicants like Sai Kishore, Devdutt Padikkal, and N Jagadeesan who might be relied upon.
Concerns about Mukesh’s injuries
According to The Hindu, Mukesh Kumar’s injury sustained in the first innings in Bengaluru prevented him from bowling in the second innings versus North Zone, causing East Zone to suffer a setback. For those who are unaware, he took a break from bowling for nine overs during the first innings to tend to his groin and thigh. In the first innings of East Zone, the Bengal pacer came out to bat.