Overview

• BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed India will face Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, with India opening the Asia Cup against the UAE on September 10.
• India’s squad trained at the ICC Academy, took the Bronco fitness test, and saw Jasprit Bumrah bowl extended spells; Sanju Samson briefly left practice in discomfort before returning to bat later the same session.
• Selection debate continues over the wicketkeeping role, with multiple reports citing ESPNcricinfo indicating Jitesh Sharma is likely to be preferred over Samson to accommodate vice-captain Shubman Gill in the top order.
• BCCI announced Shreyas Iyer as India A captain for two four-day unofficial Tests against Australia A in Lucknow from September 16 and 23, with KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj set to join for the second game.
• Several outlets citing Hindustan Times report Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are likely to play three unofficial ODIs for India A in Kanpur on September 30, October 3 and 5 as tune-ups for the Australia ODIs, with Kohli expected to undergo fitness assessments at the Bengaluru CoE.