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As the schedule for the Asia Cup 2018 was officially released on 24th July 2018, it called for a lot of controversy as India will be facing a yet to qualify associate team on 18th September and will be taking on Pakistan on the 19th of September. The fact that the Indian team doesn't get even a day of rest is what has angered officials and former players.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) however has confirmed that there will be no change to the schedule and India will have to play two games in two days.
The 2018 Asia Cup will be an ODI tournament that shall now be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in September 2018, with matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It will be the 14th Asia Cup, and the third time the tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates.
Playing two ODIs in two days might be slightly taxing for the players. The humiliation India faced at the hands of Pakistan last year in the Champions Trophy final, still gives pangs to Indian fans. India has a huge debt to pay back to Pakistan.
Let us have a look at the Probable Indian Squad for the tournament:-
TOP ORDER:
Rohit Sharma
Mr. 200 or Hitman, whatever you may call him, he is the backbone of any high scoring Indian innings. With the kind of reputation he has built for himself at that position and the kind of improvement and consistency he has shown over the last one and a half years, he is certain to open the innings and his fans would definitely be hoping to see another 200 from him. He is yet to show the same consistency and class outside of India, or rather, outside the subcontinent and would be itching to correct that.
Shikhar Dhawan
The degree of improvement this man has shown over the last 12-16 months, across formats, is just phenomenal. He has shown unexpected levels of consistency, something that he lacked earlier, and it would be a sure thing to include him.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul had been missing from the selectors' radar up until IPL 2018, where he created havoc with the bat. That led to him being included in the T20i squad against England, and he took the opportunity with open arms and slammed his second T20I Hundred. Therefore, at the moment, there is no better third opener for India than KL Rahul. He can also bat at number four if need be.
MIDDLE ORDER:
Virat Kohli
Skipper Virat has always been India's Mr. Consistent and therefore, the backbone of the Indian batting lineup. He is someone whom no Indian fan can imagine the team without. With extreme levels of consistency and class, along with bagging the top ranks across formats in the ICC Rankings, Kohli will be key to India's title retaining.
Ambati Rayudu
IPL 2018 was a revolutionary year for Rayadu, as he created a new identity for himself as an opener and did extremely well. He scored 602 runs in 16 matches with a strike rate of almost 150 and at an excellent average of 43. This was by far, the best season of IPL for Ambati Rayudu, who played very fearlessly and thus, flawlessly. He was initially picked for the Indian squad for the England tour but was later dropped due to his inability to clear the yo-yo test.
With the number four spot in the Indian ODI team up for grab, he would surely want to put forward his case for selection. He would want to work hard to overcome the challenges and make it to the Indian team before 2019 World Cup. The BCCI too, would want to give him one big opportunity to prove himself before the 2019 World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer
Owing to his consistency in IPL and the domestic circuit, Shreyas Iyer deserves a chance to play for India. He showed his class and consistency against Sri Lanka in 2017, when he scored 88 and 65 runs in two successive matches. Being part of the ODI playing XIs against South Africa early this year, he failed to make good use of the opportunity.
He was appointed as the captain of Delhi Daredevils midway through the season. The added responsibility of captaincy brought the better out of him as he managed to perform exceedingly well on the personal front. He would hope to perform well in the A-team tours to be in recognition for a national call-up.
LOWER MIDDLE ORDER AND FINISHERS
MS Dhoni
Number 5 remains MS Dhoni's spot. With his sheer ability to play with the batsmen's minds from behind the stumps and with the bowlers' minds while batting, he is a must for the Indian middle order. With age, his hitting abilities seem to have subsided a bit, but this IPL he showed us that age is just a number.
What we saw at CSK was a batting masterclass from MS Dhoni, who reinvented himself as a batsman, more often than not coming in to bat at number 4 and hammering the bowlers all around the park like vintage MSD. He has proven all his critics wrong by playing some out of the world knocks with some staggering shots, and that is what makes him the ideal number 5 for India.
Rishabh Pant
Much has been said about this young batting powerhouse, but it never seems enough. When Rishabh Pant plays a big innings, one just cannot look away from his/her television set. He has always been a big hitter of the cricket ball, predominantly strong on the leg side and always looking out for big shots.
In the recently concluded IPL, he announced himself as a complete batsman, who could bat up the order and bat as per the situation. He played a lot of nicely paced innings, unlike his previous style of going against the bowlers from the onset. Also, he has added a wide array of shots to his repertoire. He can now be called a complete batsman, who is ready for a national call-up. He is also probably the best possible replacement for MS Dhoni in the long run, as he can keep wickets and also hit the ball really hard. It is strange to not see him in either of the squads to face England, but he can surely make it to the World Cup squad.
Hardik Pandya
Having proven himself time and again as a world class finisher and a fast bowler who can not only bowl those extra overs, but can also play as a full quota bowler for India, Hardik Pandya has come a long way from what he initially was. When he had arrived, he was this thin guy who could slog and hit a few sixes along with bowling a few overs of seam in between. What we see today is a far more matured and developed cricketer who knows how to build an innings along with hitting those biggies and also someone who can bowl a full quota of 10 overs just like a normal fast bowler.
He has played some exhilarating knocks with the bat and also taken crucial wickets, along with being a classy fielder. He has become very very popular among the fans and has lots to offer. He cannot be ignored from any lineup.
SPINNERS
Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya has proven himself time and again as a quality floater batsman and a genuine spin bowling all-rounder. Right since his IPL debut in 2016, Pandya senior has exhibited the ability to bat in the middle order and play big innings, as well as bat down the order and finish off games. Not to forget that his left arm orthodox bowling can be lethal too and he has claimed the wickets of some of the best in the business, including the great AB de Villiers, who now seems to have become his bunny.
It will be exciting to see how he prepares ahead of the 2019 World Cup and if he does well enough, he could be seen as a genuine number 6 or 7 batsman for India, and that would also give India a genuine sixth bowling option. Therefore, BCCI might want to offer him a role in India's middle order and also look to use his spin bowling abilities in the Asia Cup.
Kuldeep Yadav
India being a team from the subcontinent, has its strength in spin. They have always produced quality spinners who have troubled non-subcontinental batsman and that is why it is very obvious that India will play 2 spinners in the Asia Cup as well.
Kuldeep Yadav has been very very successful in picking those crucial wickets in the middle overs and not letting the opposition get good partnerships. With his unusual chinaman action, Kuldeep has successfully tricked several batsmen into getting out LBW. His first and only ODI hattrick came against Australia last year, and he will be key to India's middle overs' bowling against fellow Asian nations.
Yuzvendra Chahal
As mentioned before, India's strength in terms of bowling lies in spin, and Yuzvendra Chahal is at the moment, one of the best spinners in India. He has proven himself with the ball time and again, and it is a no-brainer to include him in the playing XI. Chahal does not leak too many runs and also picks wickets. He can trick the batsmen into playing regrettable shots and giving away their wickets.
Fast Bowlers
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar
Mr. Swing of the Indian bowling lineup. One of the most consistent bowlers in India, Bhuvi deserves to play each of the one-dayers leading up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. He has the genuine ability to swing the ball both ways and trouble the batsman, and can also bowl excellent yorkers at the death to curb the flow of runs. With his excellent abilities as a bowler and the ability to bat at the tail, Bhuvi is a big asset to India.
Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah has made it to the number one spot in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers, and rightly so, as he has been thoroughly consistent and effective. He has taken up the role of bowling with the new ball very well and also specializes in the field of death bowling.
Initially considered for the T20 format due to his bowling prowess in the death and the ability to bowl yorkers at will, Bumrah has now become an ODI regular for India. He has learnt to bowl in almost all situations and phases of an innings.
He can also bowl with great intensity at the death, with yorkers and slower deliveries at his disposal.
Umesh Yadav
In case any of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets injured or is deemed unfit, India would need a quality and experienced fast bowler who can bowl in the first spell and swing the ball. Umesh Yadav, with his express pace and accuracy, can do wonders for India on Arab pitches. He has the ability to hit the deck hard and swing the ball, and can pick early wickets.
With the outstanding IPL performance behind him, he is a player to watch out for. Umesh can also reverse swing the ball and can maintain his pace for long periods of time, things that could help India immensely in case he gets to play.
Full Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav.
Expected Starting XIs: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
Reserves: KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Umesh Yadav
However, with the India-Pakistan clash right on the day after India's opening game, India might rest major players who have also been playing Tests in England, such as Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah and the reserves might get to play the first game.
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