Asia Cup 2018: India's predicted XI without Virat Kohli

The Indian selectors have announced the Asia cup squad today and regular skipper Virat Kohli has been rested from the tournament. Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team, whereas Shikhar Dhawan is going to be the vice-captain. As a matter of fact, India has a long schedule ahead after the Asia Cup and Kohli's presence is essential for the Men in Blue. He is the backbone of the Indian team and his fitness needs to be at the peak for the upcoming Australia tour.

Meanwhile, India's squad still looks formidable without Kohli. The team has a great blend of young and experienced players. Additionally, Rohit is a remarkable captain, and he has an impressive track record as a skipper. In fact, his leadership skill has been praised in IPL as well as in international cricket. Rohit won three IPL titles for Mumbai Indians and he won the Nidahas Trophy as the Indian captain in March.

India won the Asia Cup in 2016 and they are the defending champions. Therefore, they will be persistent to defend the throne successfully. The tournament will be held in the UAE and a total of six Asian teams are participating this time.

Here we discuss the predicted eleven of the Indian team in the Asia Cup.

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#1 Openers

Rohit and Dhawan will open the innings

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan

The pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan has been opening for India in the limited overs cricket and they regularly provide a good start. Rohit is a destructive opener who has scored three double hundreds in the ODI format. He has an immense responsibility as a captain and he will be aiming to lead India with his brilliant batting.

On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan is also an attacking batsman who can score with a good strike rate. He always steps up his game in the big tournaments and he is expected to score plenty of runs in the Asia Cup.

#2 Middle-order

MSD will play a crucial role in the absence of Kohli

KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni

The Indian middle-order batsmen need to take the responsibility in the absence of Kohli. KL Rahul is likely to bat at number three where Kohli generally bats. He is a magnificent batsman who has a good temperament. Furthermore, he can play big knocks at the top of the batting order. Although his form has been ordinary in the ongoing Test series against England, he is certainly a better player in the limited overs format.

Additionally, Manish Pandey had an incredible Quadrangular series recently where he scored over 300 runs without getting dismissed. Hence, he is likely to get a place in the middle order ahead of Ambati Rayadu. Besides, Dinesh Karthik is likely to play as a specialist batsman and he could be an ideal batsman at number five. Though he had a disappointing Test series in England, he has been a reliable batsman for India in the ODI format. His heroic knock in the Nidahas Trophy final is still remembered and he certainly deserves a place in the starting eleven.

MS Dhoni will be the regular wicket-keeper and he is the most senior player in the squad. As a matter of fact, India will rely on his finishing ability and his batting form will be crucial. Dhoni might bat up the order in the absence of Kohli as well.

#3 All-rounder

Pandya is one of the biggest match-winners

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is a regular member of the Indian team in every format and his form has been awe-inspiring in the ongoing Test series against England. Hence, he will be determined to continue his good run in the Asia cup. He can clear the boundaries with ease and he is a handy lower-order batsman. Conversely, he bowls with a good pace and takes wickets at a regular interval.

However, the selectors have picked Kedar Jadhav and Axar Patel in the squad as well. But they are not likely to get a place in the starting eleven.

#4 Seamers

Bumrah's yorkers are hard to navigate

Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The selectors have picked four specialist seamers for the Asia Cup but two seamers are likely to play. India's seam bowling has been noteworthy and the pacers have done well in the Test series against England. Hence, Indian pacers will be determined to carry forward the impressive bowling form in the Asia Cup.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back from an injury and he is going to start. Likewise, Bumrah is the pillar of Indian pace bowling and his performance will be key in the Asia Cup. The selectors have also included Shardul Thakur and newcomer Khaleel Ahmed in the squad. However, they have a tiny possibility of getting a chance in the starting eleven.

#5 Spinners

Kuldeep and Chahal - India's X-factor

Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

Two specialist spinners have been picked for the Asia Cup and they have been regular spinners in the limited overs cricket since the Champions Trophy last year for India. The pair of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal has troubled the batsmen in every part of the world. In fact, they performed exceptionally well in England and they are anticipated to take a lot of wickets in the spin-friendly pitches of UAE.

The selectors did not pick Ashwin despite his notable performance in England. However, the wrist spinners can take wickets regularly and they will be crucial to India's title defence