Abhishek Nayar names his all-time Asia Cup India XI, leaves out two legendary captains

Former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar came up with his all-time Asia Cup XI for the Men In Blue (on Sony Sports Network). Nayar made some interesting picks as he left out two legendary captains, Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev.

He named Rohit Sharma as the captain of his team and also picked him as the opener. Alongside Rohit, he chose Sachin Tendulkar as the other opener. Notably, Sachin and Rohit are the top two run-getters for India in Asia Cup history (ODI). Sachin is the highest run-getter with 971 runs, while Rohit is closely behind with 939 runs.

His middle order included Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, along with all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. Kohli and Dhoni are also among the top run-getters for the country in the Asia Cup (ODI) with 742 and 648 runs, respectively. Ravindra Jadeja is India's highest wicket-taker in the 50-over edition with 25 scalps from 20 games.

Abhishek Nayar then picked Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble as the other two spinners in his team. Kumble bagged 14 wickets in the Asia Cup, while Harbhajan had seven scalps (ODI). He wrapped up his side with Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah as the two quicks.

Abhishek Nayar's all-time India Asia Cup XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah.

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Rohit Sharma trained with Abhishek Nayar to prepare for the upcoming Australia ODIs

Having retired from Tests and T20Is, Rohit Sharma will only play ODI cricket for India going forward. He will be seen in action during their upcoming series against Australia Down Under in October after the conclusion of the Asia Cup 2025.

Ahead of the same, Rohit trained in a suburban facility in Mumbai with Abhishek Nayar last month. Notably, Nayar previously served as the assistant coach of the senior Indian men's team. The two are known to share a strong bond.

Rohit last played an ODI during the 2025 Champions Trophy final in Dubai against New Zealand. He played a captain's knock, scoring a crucial 76 off 83 balls as India successfully chased down 252 runs to win the tournament.