4 things India can gain from Asia Cup 2018

With the long and disappointing tour of England behind them, India move back to the white-ball mode with the 2018 Asia Cup to be played in Dubai.

With the talismanic Virat Kohli sitting out from the event, the onus to lead the side will fall on Rohit Sharma, who will be returning after having not got picked for the Test leg of India's tour to England, keen to prove a point.

MS Dhoni will also be back behind the stumps while for the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, the tournament presents an opportunity to replicate good IPL and 'A' series form for the senior side.

Here are five things India can gain from the 2018 Asia Cup.

---

A good left-arm seamer

Ahmed was part of India's Under-19 squad in 2016

When the squad for the competition was announced, one name which caught everyone's attention was of Khaleel Ahmed, the left-arm seamer who was part of the Under-19 World Cup squad which finished runners-up in Bangladesh to the West Indies in 2016.

The present group comprises largely of bowlers who slant the ball away from the right-handers but in Khaleel, one could hope for him to take it in into the right-handers and if he can grab his chances during the competition, then that could add more variety to the Indian attack in future.

India have in the past tried Barinder Sran to fit that bill, but that did not quite work out. Hopefully provides them with the answer for a left-arm seam option in the side.

The backup Number 3

Will Rayudu prove to be an able Number 3?

With no Virat Kohli to bat at Number 3, India need to find a player who can be as effective if not more than their talisman in that spot.

In Ambati Rayudu, they have that option. The right-hander has batted there in the past and could have the greatest chance to bat there in the absence of Kohli.

The tournament will give India an opportunity to find that alternate player at that position in case Kohli is available in the future.

The future Number 4?

Will Manish Pandey grab his chances if asked to bat at 4?

An area of India's white-ball cricket which has been a concern for a while has been the presence or the lack of it of an able player at Number 4 to follow the gun Top three of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

This Asia Cup provides the management with an opportunity to find that player who can be given a long rope in that slot. The options are Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul and an off-beat option of pushing MS Dhoni to that position.

India also can try playing Rohit at 4 and open with Rahul and Dhawan at the top. The next fortnight provides an opportunity for the management to test out players at that position.

Chance to test Rohit's captaincy skills

Can Rohit help India defend the Asia Cup successfully?

When Virat Kohli opted out of the tour of Sri Lanka in late 2017, Rohit Sharma was asked to lead the side for the first time in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. India won the series 2-1 to kickstart Sharma's captaincy debut on a winning note.

The Asia Cup will present Rohit with a bigger challenge to test out his captaincy skills and it will also give him more exposure to lead India and hopefully, like was the case in December last year, he and the side come out and perform up to potential.