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Asia Cup is one of those tournaments that every cricket lover especially the fans from the subcontinent eagerly wait for. It is a tournament where the top playing Asian nations fight for the coveted title.
Another reason that keeps the fans excited for the tournament is the mouth-watering contest between two arch-rivals in the game of cricket, India and Pakistan. It is only these type of tournaments where we are able to witness India and Pakistan face each other in an edge-of-the-seat contest that keeps the hearts of the fans from both sides pumping to its full capacity.
Such is the situation nowadays that it seems almost impossible to witness India and Pakistan play against each other in a bilateral series. So the only place we are able to see them play against each other is either in the tournaments conducted by the ICC or in tournaments like Asia Cup.
Out of all the teams participating teams, the Indian team is the clear favorites. But they cannot take the other teams lightly because every team participating in the tournament has the capability of playing good quality cricket and coming out on top.
In the following slides, we are going to look at the possible starting 11 for the Indian team in the Asia Cup which is scheduled start from 15th September.
Openers - Rohit Sharma (C) and Shikhar Dhawan
In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma has been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side in the Asia Cup. Rohit Sharma has been the mainstay of the Indian batting for the past few years in white ball cricket. With Virat Kohli being rested, the pressure is now on Rohit Sharma to perform well for the team because aside from MS Dhoni, he is the most experienced player in the squad for the Asia Cup.
Both Rohit and Dhawan are experienced campaigners and will have a key role to play if India is hoping to clinch the Asia Cup. Dhawan's aggressive approach has been quite effective for team India. It will depend on both Rohit and Dhawan to give a solid start to the team.
Rohit is also an experienced captain and has won the IPL thrice with Mumbai Indians. This will help in captaining the side and will not be an added burden on him.
Middle Order - Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni(WK)
After a stellar performance in IPL, it seemed certain that Ambati Rayudu would be selected in the Indian team sooner or later. His performance in the IPL has paid rich dividends, securing a place in the squad for the Asia Cup. It is almost certain that he would make it to the playing 11 when India starts its campaign in the Asia Cup.
Manish Pandey did not have a great IPL but he possesses the talent to bat in the middle order and also take the team from a troublesome position to a commanding position. Recently Pandey finished as the highest run-getter in the Quadrangular series. With some good form on his side, Pandey looks determined to make his comeback to the Indian ODI setup with an improved performance in the upcoming Asia Cup.
MS Dhoni has not been in the best of form after being under fire for playing an uncanny inning in the ODI series against England. He will have to play well to prove that he still has cricket left in him. His performances from IPL suggest that he has lot offer on the plate for India.
All-Rounders - Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav
It has been a long while since India has got a fast bowling all-rounder in the same vein as Kapil Dev. But now it seems that finally India has got that all-rounder in the form of Hardik Pandya. He can bat quite well lower down the order and also give a much-needed boost at the end of the innings. His bowling has also improved and at present, he is a much better bowler than he used to be at the start of his career.
As far as Kedar Jadhav is concerned, he is making a comeback after suffering a serious injury. He will want to make the most of the opportunity that he is provided and will want to cement his position in the team with his all-round performance.
Spinners - Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav
Yuzvendra Chahal along with Kuldeep Yadav has been absolutely fantastic for the side. They have complemented each other very well and have performed brilliantly irrespective of the team they are playing against. They have bamboozled best of the batsmen of the world with their classical wrist spin bowling.
The duo have been a hard nut to crack for the opposition. It will be great to see them in action in the Asia Cup, making life difficult for the opposition batsmen.
Fast Bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have been the best bowlers for India in the recent past. They have been exceptional both at the start and in the death overs where the batsmen are trying to hit every ball out of the ground. The consistency with which they bowl is unmatched. It almost becomes impossible to dig out the yorkers that these two bowl in the death overs.
Bhuvi and Bumrah have become a deadly death bowling duo, which is what makes this line-up more threatening for the opposition.
Thus, with Bhuvneshwar fit and Bumrah in ominous form with the ball, the duo is set to find a place in the playing XI without any hesitation.
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