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Rahul Dravid (Image source- Twitter)
Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, is likely to miss the Asia Cup 2022 after testing positive for Covid-19. The news comes as the Indian team prepares to depart for the continental tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
According to the report, it is unclear whether Dravid will join the team for the crucial first game or fly to the UAE once he receives the all-clear from the Indian cricket board medical staff. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to confirm Dravid's COVID-19-positive status.
Dravid was not among the Indian team that travelled to Zimbabwe for the three-match One-Day International series. In Dravid's absence, VVS Laxman had assumed the role of head coach. The Men in Blue had a clean sweep over Zimbabwe in the series.
In the meantime, it has been understood that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and other members of the Indian team have arrived in the UAE ahead of the start of the tournament. The Indian team will begin training in Dubai three days before the big match against their arch-rivals Pakistan.
The multi-team tournament will kick off on August 27th with a match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The tournament final will take place on September 11th at the Dubai International Stadium.
Earlier, injuries forced India's star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel to withdraw from the tournament. The men in blue will be eager to defend their Asia Cup title. Notably, this will be Rohit Sharma's first multi-team tournament since taking over as the full-time captain. The Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
India squad for the Asia Cup 2022
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(Wk), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan