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The 2018 Asia Cup will be a One Day International(ODI) cricket tournament scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates in September 2018. It will be the 14th edition of the Asia Cup and the third time when the tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates, after the 1984 and 1995 editions. India are the defending champions.
Originally, the tournament was scheduled to be played in India. However, it was moved to the United Arab Emirates, following the ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan.
Background
On 29th October 2015, following the Asian Cricket Council(ACC) meeting in Singapore, Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) secretary stated that the 2018 edition of the tournament would be held in India. In August 2017, the BCCI sought government clearance to host the tournament, after the 2017 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup was moved to Malaysia. In April 2018, Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nayan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, asked if the BCCI and ACC would consider hosting the tournament in Abu Dhabi, in a bid to ensure Pakistan's participation. Pakistan were scheduled to host the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup ahead of the tournament in April. However, with the announcement that the Asia Cup would be played in the United Arab Emirates, the Emerging Teams Asia Cup was moved to December 2018 with Sri Lanka scheduled to co-host the tournament with Pakistan.
Asia has always been a nursery of cricket and has produced many greats of the game. So,let us take a look at the current players who can make it to the playing XI of the Strongest Asian XI Team in ODI cricket considering the balance of the team and representation of cricketing nations.
Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan
Undoubtedly, Rohit Sharma is currently one of the best openers in the limited-overs format. He can destroy any bowling line-up once he gets settled. Rohit is the only player to score three double centuries in ODI cricket with the highest score of 264, which is a world record. The way he times the ball makes him a treat to watch. He is currently ranked no. 4 in ODI cricket. He, without any doubt, deserves his place in starting XI.
On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan has been in the form of his life. He has scored runs in Champions Trophy, South Africa, IPL etc. He is currently ranked no. 10 in ODI cricket. His ability to score briskly in all corners of the ground, in any conditions and against any kind of attack makes him a certainty to partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order.
This opening duo, right-left combination, could form a lethal opening partnership on top of the order and could lay the platform for the middle-order.
Middle Order: Babar Azam and Virat Kohli(Captain)
Babar Azam has fantastic records in the One Day Cricket. He is one of the best batsmen for Pakistan at the moment, especially in the limited-overs format. Azam jointly holds the record for the fastest batsman to reach 1000 ODI runs. He also holds the record of scoring most runs after first 25 ODI Innings by any batsman in the world. He is currently ranked 2nd in ODI cricket.
Virat Kohli is the best in the business across all formats, especially in the ODI format. He is currently ranked no.1 in ODI cricket and is believed to be the best chaser the world has ever seen by many cricketing pundits. The great thing about his batting is that he can adapt his batting according to the situation i.e he can accelerate the innings from the very first ball once the top-order provide a flying start and he can also look to build the innings if early wicket(s) has fallen. Virat is also very clever in using his tactics as a captain.
Both, Babar and Virat are adept in scoring at around six an over during the middle overs without taking too many risks and setting the foundation for the finishers of their respective teams so that they can take advantage of the death overs without the fear of getting bowled out before their quota of allocated 50 overs.
Wicket-keeper and All rounders: M.S Dhoni (Wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya and Shakib Al Hassan
The former Indian skipper, M.S Dhoni is without any doubt one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen in the history of ODI cricket. His presence on the field, while batting or fielding provides huge confidence to his team and has a completely opposite effect on the opposition. In addition to all his traits, he still has the ability to finish games in the limited-overs format.
The 24-year-old, Hardik Pandya occupies of the all-rounder's spot. The fast bowling all-rounder can be effective in batting, bowling and fielding. Pandya has the talent to provide crucial breakthroughs, score quick runs and be brilliant on the field.
The next all-rounder is the Bangladeshi Legend, Shakib Al Hasan. The spin bowling all-rounder is currently ranked no.1 in ODI cricket when it comes to the all-rounders. He is still very potent with both bat and ball and is still a force to reckon with, in limited overs format. He definitely deserves his place in the starting XI.
Spinners: Rashid Khan and Kuldeep Yadav
Rashid Khan became the youngest player to top the ICC Player Ranking for bowlers in ODIs. Khan became the fastest and youngest bowler to take 100 wickets in ODIs when he dismissed Shai Hope. He took 44 matches to take his 100th dismissal, breaking the previous record of 52 matches, set by Mitchell Starc of Australia. He is currently ranked no. 2 when it comes to bowlers rankings in the world. He is a match winner and can change the situation of the match anytime. Therefore, he is a certainty in the ODI Team.
The left-arm chinaman bowler, Kuldeep Yadav has been a match winner for the Indian Team in the recent times. Yadav, who recently took a hat-trick against Australia in ODIs has continued his good form in South Africa and in England as well. His inclusion in this team will definitely provide an extra edge to the bowling attack.
Fast Bowlers: Hasan Ali and Jasprit Bumrah
He has several variations in his bowling and can trouble any batting line-up and is a key wicket-taking option especially in the middle overs. He was instrumental in Pakistan winning the Champions Trophy Title in 2017 as he was named a player of the series. He became the quickest bowler for Pakistan to take 50 wickets in ODI cricket.
Bumrah is arguably the best limited-overs bowler at the moment as he is dangerous with the new ball and is lethal in the death overs, thanks to his variations. He can tear apart any batting line-up with his pace and toe-crushing yorkers.
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