Asia Cup 2018: India's Expected Line-up 

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After India's series against England, the Asia Cup is the next event on their calendar. Despite the fact that Virat Kohli has been rested, with less than a year to go for the much awaited ICC Cricket World Cup, every ODI match until then holds great significance.

Further, India's second match against Pakistan is sure to excite many fans, especially in light of India's heavy defeat at the hands of their rivals in last year's Champions Trophy Final.

Here is the expected line-up of the Indian team.


#1 Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

India's extremely successful opening pair in recent years Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, who have been named the captain and vice-captain of this squad respectively, are certain to play in the match-up against Pakistan. Even though KL Rahul has been named in the squad, it is clear that he will have to vie for a spot in the middle-order as the openers are certain not to change.

While Sharma has been dropped from the Test team and Dhawan has looked rather lackluster in his performances in England, both of them are proven match-winners in limited overs cricket and are certainly a big part of India's plans at next year's tournament. Further, with India's vulnerability to collapses against left-arm seamers, most notably against Mohammed Amir in the Champions Trophy 2017 Final, it will be interesting to see how the two openers negotiate with him in the match-up.

#2 Middle-order: KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, and Kedar Jadhav

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KL Rahul, despite his struggles in England, has manyatime been publicly backed by the team management, and given his growth as a limited overs player, seems to be the obvious choice to fill in the big boots of regular skipper Virat Kohli at number 3.

The number four slot seems to be a three-way toss-up between Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, and Ambati Rayudu with no clear winner. The fact that Dinesh Karthik featured in only two of India's eight limited overs games in the UK coupled with his omission from the Test-match playing 11 indicates that he seems to have fallen out of favour with the team management. Further, Ambati Rayudu, who was picked on the basis of his outstanding IPL got his runs batting at the top of the order; therefore, Manish Pandey seems to be the preferred choice. However, Karthik still remains a formidable choice and Rayudu had an impressive showing with India 'A' recently batting in the middle-order, so this slot is by no means certain.

Kedar Jadhav, India's middle-order batsmen and preferred sixth bowler, is expected to walk back into the side, ironically more because of his bowling than batting. Certainly, he is a handy middle-order batsman and a good finisher with the bat; however, where he really gets the edge over the otherswho are vying for middle-order slots is his uncanny bowling and ability to give the batsmen a few scares in some overs of his low-arm off-spin.

#3 Lower Middle-order: MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya

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Despite being criticised from multiple corners in recent times, it is certain that MS Dhoni will remain India's first choice wicketkeeper-batsman until next year's big tournament. While his batting ability may have gone down, his shrewd tactical inputs on the field and sharp wicket-keeping mean that he is as important to the team's success as ever. Having had a below-par showing against England in the ODIs, including an innings of 37 off 59 deliveries in a chase of 323 that led to him being booed, Dhoni will be looking to find some form with the bat.

Hardik Pandya, despite receiving criticism for his showing in Test matches, has also been publicly backed by the team management on several occasions, and it is clear that he, as an all-rounder, is viewed integral to the team's fortunes. Having blown hot and cold in recent months, he will be eager to find that elusive consistency and contribute meaningfully to the team.

#4 Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Jasprit Bumrah

India look set to field their first-choice bowling attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are considered India's best pace-bowling duo in limited overs in recent times, and their ability to bowl well with the new ball up front and with the old ball at the death will bode well for India when they travel to England for the World Cup. Both of them have recently suffered injuries, with Bumrah missing India's first two Tests against England and Bhuvneshwar missing the entire series, so the management might consider managing their workload over the course of the tournament, in which case Shardul Thakur and/or Khaleel Ahmed might get a go.

The 'spin twins', who came into reckoning because of India's fingerspinners' dismal showing in the Champions Trophy Final against Pakistan, have been on fire ever since. Their last two tours of South Africa and England have been major challenges, and they performed well in both of those countries in conditions that do not traditionally favour spinners. It is clear that they will both feature in India's World Cup campaign next year, and they will be looking to carry on with their good work in this Asia Cup.

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Edited by Sarah Waris