Asia Cup 2018: India's Predicted XI

The Asia Cup is just 2 days away and Team India will be looking to put the disappointment of the English tour behind them by lifting the trophy. But with Virat Kohli given a rest, Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian side in the United Arab Emirates.

A lot of prominent names will be missing in the squad as the team will be looking to use this opportunity to prepare for the World Cup next year. Thus names like Manish Pandey and Ambati Rayudu will vying for a place in the team, while stars like Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina will be sitting out at home.

Let's take a look at how Team India will line up in a few days time as they try to win the Asia Cup.

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Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

Rohit and Shikhar will be looking to give India a fiery start at the top.

While consistency issues remain with both these batsmen, they will surely be the preferred opening pair for Team India when the Asia Cup comes around. This partnership has served India well for the past few years and in the absence of Kohli, they will be expected to put some big runs on the board if India are to win.

Sharma has always been regarded as one of the most talented batsmen in Indian history but for some reason, he has not been able to find the consistency to become one of the game's all-time greats. While he does have bad games here and there, on his day, there is no better batsman in cricket.

Dhawan will be coming off a terrible tour of England but that should not come in the way of his selection in this tournament. The pitches in UAE will be completely different from the ones in England and will be much more suited to Dhawan's style of play.

A lot will be expected from this pairing in the Asia Cup.

Middle-Order: KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu and Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey will be looking to make the best of his opportunity.

While the talk has been mostly surrounding which two of these three to pick, India could throw us a surprise by having all three in the team. If the team management does not have faith in the Rohit-Dhawan partnership at the top, this will clearly be the way to go.

All three men have shown in the past that they are capable of scoring big runs in the limited over format of the game, and with all three in the team, India will have some much-needed solidity in the middle-order.

Almost a decade on from becoming the first Indian batsman to score a century in the IPL, Pandey is yet to solidify his place in the Indian team. On the other hand, this might be Rayudu's last chance to become a regular in the national side.

KL Rahul struggled throughout the whole English tour before coming good in the last innings of the final test and scoring an epic 149. That might have saved his place in the ODI team. And on the pitches of UAE, Rahul will be expected to be back to his best.

Wicket-Keeper: M.S. Dhoni

Dhoni will surely be in the playing XI.

Dinesh Karthik has been in terrific form for almost a year now, but he is sure to sit in the dressing room throughout the course of the Asia Cup. After all, there is no better wicket-keeper in the country who can replace Dhoni in this Indian team.

Even at the ripe old age of 37, he remains the best wicket-keeper in the team by a mile. And after coming under criticism, he has shown in recent months that he still has a lot to deliver with the bat in hand.

His experience will be the deciding factor for picking him ahead of Karthik. While Rohit Sharma might be the official captain of this team, 'Captain Cool' will surely have a lot of say in most of the decisions.

All-Rounder: Hardik Pandya

Pandya will be a constant in the team.

Over the past year or so, Pandya has gone from an inconsistent all-rounder with a lot of potential to one of the best all-rounders in the game. It has been truly fascinating to see his transformation.

Now he is one of India's most reliable batsman in the lower-order and can be relied upon to hold the innings if the team finds itself in trouble. On the other hand, he can almost be pushed up the order when the team needs some quick runs as Pandya has that ability of a big-hitter.

But most interesting has been his development with the ball. While once a fairly inconsistent bowler who would turn out to be expensive more often than not, he has become one of India's strike bowlers added after developing the ability to take wickets.

He is clearly the best all-rounder that India has at this moment and will be one of the first names on the team sheet.

Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal

India will have high hopes from its spinners.

The slow and turning pitches of UAE will be most suited to spinners. Fortunately for Team India, they have two of the best spinners in the world at the moment in the form of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

While both of them have the reputation of being expensive at times, there is no denying the fact that both of them have the ability to pick up wickets in bunches. And that is what India will be asking them to do at the Asia Cup. The left-right combination of the two spinners will surely leave the opposition batsmen guessing.

India will have a lot of high hopes from Chahal and Yadav. They will be expected to wreak havoc upon the opposition batting line up in the spinner friendly conditions that will greet them in UAE.

Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvaneswar Kumar

Bhuvi will be coming back from injury.

If everything goes to plan, these two will be India's first choice pace attack for years to come. Both of these pacers possess the variations in their artillery to be successful in the modern form of the game while also possessing the ability to pick up important wickets at the end.

Bumrah will be coming in with a lot of confidence after a terrific series in England. While India might have lost the series, Bumrah was one of the team's best performers and consistently delivered with the ball in hand.

Kumar, on the other hand, will be looking to make a comeback from injury. He missed the whole Test series against England after getting injured in the One Day series. Now back to full fitness, Kumar will be looking to show the Indian fans what he is capable of once again.