Asia Cup: Head coach Rahul Dravid rejoins Indian contingent
What's the story
Head coach Rahul Dravid has joined the Indian contingent ahead of the high-octane clash against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022 later this evening.
The news comes after the 49-year-old returned negative results on COVID-19 after having contracted the virus on Tuesday.
Dravid will take over the reins from interim coach VVS Laxman and will make his presence felt in the dugout.
Here's more.
Dravid
Dravid tested COVID-19 positive
Dravid tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
He did not accompany the Indian contingent in Zimbabwe, where the Men in Blue won the ODI series 3-0.
Laxman replaced him Zimbabwe, like he did on the Ireland tour.
One of India's greatest middle-order batters, Laxman, was appointed the NCA head in November 2021. He took over the harness from Dravid.
Information
Dravid didn't travel to UAE with the squad
Dravid didn't travel to the UAE with the rest of the Indian contingent. While announcing Laxman's appointment, the BCCI, in its statement, added that Dravid "will join the team once he returns with a negative COVID-19 report".
Laxman
Laxman headed back home on Saturday
As per Cricbuzz, Laxman departed for India on Saturday night, and as a result, he won't be available for India's opening round encounter against Pakistan on Sunday.
His appointment as the interim coach was on grounds on Dravid testing COVID positive.
Add to that, it was initially anticipated that the latter might take at least a week to recover.
However, he recovered quickly.
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India look to extend the lead over Pakistan
India have a win-loss record of 8-5 against Pakistan in the Asia Cup (ODIs and T20Is). The Men in Blue are unbeaten against them in the last three matches. In T20Is, India own a 7-2 lead over the Men in Green.
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A look at India's probable XI versus Pakistan
India's probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper)/Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh.