3 Indian players who could make the Asia Cup squad on the back of their performances in Quadrangular series

Asia Cup is scheduled to start on September 15, 2018, and the speculation regarding the team selection has already started. Not a day goes by when we don't hear a new rumor doing the rounds in the cricketing world. Every expert has a different opinion regarding who should play and who should sit out or take a break.

This year it will be played in ODI format keeping World Cup 2019 in mind. India has tried a number of players in different positions in the last couple of years to find the right balance for next year's mega tournament. Same thought process will hopefully continue in Asia Cup too.

With that said, here is the list of three players who are currently playing in the ongoing Quadrangular series, who should be part of the Indian squad for Asia Cup 2018.

#3 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson is one of the most underrated players right now. He is a great batsman who if groomed properly can be the next big thing in the world of cricket. Every year during IPL, we get to see the talent he possesses. But, what he shows there is just a tip of the iceberg. His real talent is in ODI cricket.

He also has a safe pair of hands behind the wickets as well. As we all know that MS Dhoni will probably retire in a couple of years and the Indian team will need someone with that stature to fill his shoes. The top two runner for that position is Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant among the youngsters. So, it would be better if Samson spends some time with Dhoni learning under his shadow so that he would be ready for the challenge.

Right now, in the ongoing Quadrangular series, he has scored a total of 68 runs including a very crucial 36 in a low scoring game, which was the 2nd highest individual score of the innings. He has also taken 5 catches and affected a stumping so far in the tournament.

#2 Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu got a place in the Indian team for the ODI series in England after his dream run in IPL this year. He scored 602 runs at an average of 43 and the strike-rate of 149.75 in IPL 2018 and helped his team to lift the trophy for the third time.

But unfortunately, he had to give up his place in the ODI team due to his failure to clear the YO-YO Test, a mandatory fitness test that every player in the Indian team has to clear. Hopefully, he has worked on his fitness in the last couple of months. Indian Team desperately needs someone at no. 4 position who can consistently give them performance. They tried KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik against England this year but did not get the required result.

In the ongoing Quadrangular series, he has scored a total of 121 runs from three matches batting in the middle-order.

#1 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey has been in and out of the team for a while now. He has been given many opportunities but sadly, he failed to convert them into big numbers.

But what many failed to understand is that he is at his best when he plays at no. 3 or no. 4 in ODIs. Almost every time he was selected in the team, he had to bat down the order after players like Handik Pandya or Kedar Jadhav were given promotions to bat before him. Also, he is a better ODI batsman and most of the opportunities he got was in T20Is.

He makes tons of runs when he bats at upper middle-order in ODIs. In the ongoing Quadrangular series, he is the leading run scorer so far with a total of 233 runs from 3 matches including a century and a score of 95. He has proved that he deserves another chance in the Indian Team and this time at the right position.

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Tell us in the comments below that what do you think. Who should make it to the Asia Cup squad?