Current Asia ODI XI

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka andBangladesh are the recognised ICC full members from Asia, while Afghanistan is anassociate nation that is on the riseamong the international scene. The team was selected on 12 August, 2014.

#1 Tillakaratne Dilshan

The Sri Lankan opener has been doing reasonably well and is the most experienced for the job among Asian teams at the moment. His off-side stroke play can be quite handy in powerplays as he will make use of the fielding restrictions to score some runs at a good rate. Might not be a reliable opener, but, he is delivering some decent results over last few months.

#2 Rohit Sharma

The makeshift Indian opener has performed well to cement his place in the ODI side. He enjoyed a fruitful spell at the top of the order and played some of his best ODI innings as an opener last season that guarantees a place in the side. His intention to clear the infield is proving to be a double edged knife but will look easy on the eye when it comes off.

A natural stroke maker, he will have to be patient against outswingers to be successful.

#3 Kumar Sangakkara

The Sri Lankan batting mainstay is undoubtedly making a late entry into the debate of ‘the greatest of his generation’. His consistency over the last few seasons is incredible and he is making some serious efforts to improve his career batting average of 40.39 in ODIs. Since 2013, he has scored 1891 runs at 55.61 per dismissal with 5 hundreds and 13 fifties.

#4 Virat Kohli

Since Sangakkara occupies the No.3 slot, the Indian is slotted at 4. The right-hander is hailed as the best chaser in limited overs cricket and the right man to have in the middle-order. He can adapt to any situation and take the innings forward. He can walk into any side in the world with his numbers and ability to score impactful runs match after match.

On his day, even the best bowlers in the world will find it difficult to contain him. He has scored six centuries since last year – more than any other batsmen over the same period.

#5 Misbah-ul-Haq

The only Pakistani batsman who can be a trusted for the role of a batsman. His calmness at the crease makes him special. Despite his below par strike rate, he can be a reliable presence in the lower middle order and can hold one end up for the other batsmen to score freely.

Since Pakistan lack consistent lower order performances, one cannot judge his run scoring ability based on those numbers.

#6 Shakib Al Hasan

The Bangladeshi all-rounder might not be having the numbers to show for, still, he makes the team on merit. As in the case of Misbah, Shakib suffers due to lack of support from the other end and is a handful in both departments of the game.

Ravindra Jadeja despite his great numbers in the ODI format misses out to themore experienced player. The 27-year-old is a better batsman than Jadeja and not in any way behind the Saurashtra-lad with his left-arm spin either.

#7 MS Dhoni (c + wk)

The Indian captain is the best when it comes to the one-day format. His finishing skills are very important for any team and he just needs someone to fill in during his initial few minutes at the crease, when he takes his time to settle in. His 1025 runs since 2013 have come at an average of 64.

He has guided India home on a lot of occasions and is a trusted glovemen behind the stumps. His instinctive style of captaincy is better suited for the 50-over format and records suggest the same.

#8 Angelo Mathews

Possibly a position or two lower than his credentials at the moment demand, but the lack of a better seam bowling option resulted in him being picked as the bowling all-rounder. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s under par average of 38.68 since 2013 is a major factor in ignoring the talented Indian swing bowler.

The Sri Lankan is a decent seamer and more than capable to chip in as the fifth bowling option. Considering his exploits with the bat in recent times, the option is not that bad when you have part timers to fill in on his off-day.

#9 Junaid Khan

The left-arm seamer from Pakistan is one among the promising quicks of his generation and has exhibited good consistency in pace. He is not in the best of form this season, managing just one wicket from four matches, but as 52 scalps last season at 21.46 per dismissal is too good to ignore.

#10 Saeed Ajmal

Pakistan’s mystery spinner is amongst the wickets and has earned the reputation of being the best spinner in the world in recent times. Despite facing issues regarding his bowling action, he has convinced everyone of his capabilities as an off-spinner. His doosra is most effective in this format and can fox the batsmen by varying his pace.

However, he should be staying within ICC’s 15 degree permissible limit to maintain his position.

#11 Lasith Malinga

The Sri Lankan pacer is considered as one of the best death over bowlers in world cricket at the moment. His round-arm slinging action makes him difficult to read and he makes good use of his variations. He has more wickets than any other speedster in the world during the death overs in the last few seasons.

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Edited by Staff Editor