Asia Cup 2018: Probable Indian Playing XI for the Group Stage

All-rounders: Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya

Jadhav needs to spin crucial breakthroughs at crunch moments for India

Kedar Jadhav is back to the Indian frame of things after the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the entire IPL (He played only the first game). His unorthodox bowling action with decent pace can break a partnership or two.

Although he cannot be called a glorious batsman, he can still get those 25-30 runs towards the end of the middle overs and can bowl a minimum of 6-7 overs with the ball, choking up runs and picking up a wicket or two in the process. He also gives that crucial sixth bowling option that every team would love to deal with. He should be able to make decent contributions with both bat and ball in this Asia Cup.

India would bank on Pandya for his big finish and a few wickets with the ball

Hardik Pandya was supposed to be one of the quality all-rounders in the Indian lineup, but he has not done justice to the tag of being a proper all-rounder, at least as of now. Branded as one of the aggressive strikers of the cricket ball, he can hit those sixes and give a flurry of runs at the death but the inconsistency has cost him big time, so far in his career.

If he can be consistent enough and also take up the challenging role of being the next finisher for India after MS Dhoni, his career will be a progressive one with the bat. With the ball, he has 40 ODI wickets in as many innings with an economy of a shade over 5.5. It is not bad for a part-time bowler, but the numbers can be certainly better.

With age helping his case, India would be tempted to give Pandya a longer run at least in the shorter formats, and with that comes the opportunity for him to make a mark as a genuine all-rounder for India.