Asia Cup 2018: 5 reasons why India are primed to win the tournament

India are strong favorites this time around too

The Asia Cup is underway and it promises to be a tournament to savour. The tournament is back to the One-day format and it won't go on for long. The spacing between two matches is very less and hence, it will be a test of fitness, temperament, grit, and technique for the teams involved. The last Asia Cup which was held in 2016, was won by India.

India starts this tournament as favorites even though Virat Kohli has been rested.

Let's have a look at 5 reasons why we might end up seeing India lifting the coveted trophy.

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#5 Deadly opening combination

They will look to set the tournament on fire

The unique selling point of India which other teams fear the most is their opening combination, and the possible circumstances if they get going.

Even though Dhawan might not be in the best of form going into the tournament, the ball change (red to white) shall be a welcome factor for him. Dhawan likes to play on slow tracks and we have seen him excel on such surfaces.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, possesses a massive threat to the opposition as well. Once he gets going, there's no stopping him. Rohit takes time to get to his fifty but from there onwards, there is no looking back. He has the ability to make up for all the dot balls he has conceded in a matter of a few balls.

A three-time double centurion, he is also the captain this time around and he enjoys playing with responsibility on his shoulders. He has shown us that time and again. How Rohit counters the new ball will be the key as his feet tend to stay planted early on in his innings. Both Dhawan and Rohit will look to get India off to a flyer but, will anyone stop them?

It will be interesting to see what plans the other teams execute against this deadly pair.

#4 An intimidating Bowling Attack

The leader of the pack

Over the past couple of years, India has come a long way when it comes to producing quality pace bowlers and utilizing the existing ones to perfection. India was never known for its pace battery but Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami have reignited the spark.

It was something that the Indian team dearly missed after the 2011 World Cup. This pace attack knows how to use the new ball and they have been very good at it, getting early breakthroughs. In the death overs, Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah have the ability to execute their Yorkers to perfection, thereby leaving no room for any easy runs.

The two spinners, Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have mastered the art of picking up wickets in the middle overs, thus breaking partnerships and really putting a halt to the scoring rates.

Even if they fail, the batsmen have two of the best death bowlers waiting for them.

It will be exciting to see how other teams fare against such a quality bowling line-up.

#3 An excellent Fielding side

India's fielding is sure to set the ground up and moving

India is known for its fielding and this time, its fielding is one of the best in the tournament, if not the best. With Manish Pandey, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar Kumar looking to stop runs at any chance that they get, it will be very tough for the batsmen to target the other parts of the ground as these players are very agile and cover a large part of the ground in no time.

Fielding wins you matches and India's fielding by itself might win them a couple of matches.

#2 Experienced Leaders

Rohit Sharma will look to lead from the front.

Rohit Sharma has proved that he's a very good captain. He has led the Mumbai Indians to the IPL title thrice and India to the Nidahas Trophy in his first assignment as an international captain. He will be targetting the Asia Cup to make a mark of his own.

Make no mistake, he has one of the best captains that cricket has ever witnessed by his side, MS Dhoni. Rohit can use Dhoni's guidance whenever required. Dhoni's usage of the DRS is one of the best. The Indian team is sure to benefit from this.

Shikhar Dhawan is the vice-captain of the team. It will be interesting to see how he carries his batting along with it.

#1 The Dhoni Factor

Dhoni's instructions from behind the stumps are music to the ears

Yes, Dhoni's batting form in ODIs has been on a decline for a while now but you simply cannot count that man out. His keeping is still flawless. Every now and then, he devises unorthodox methods to get batsmen out. He's very good at keeping to spinners. Against fast bowlers, he doesn't drop anything. His lighting quick stumpings and reflexes will be on display again. Dhoni knows how to guide the spinners and his advice from behind the stumps will be crucial in getting a wicket against the run of play.

Dhoni showed us that he still has some fuel in him in this year's IPL when he finished games for his side like he used to. It was 2011-12 all over again. You can't expect Dhoni to finish games if he's coming in to bat early on in the innings. Every finisher needs a platform on which they can stand and play with freedom. More often than not, whenever Dhoni has got such a chance, he has made the opposition pay.

The ideal place for him to bat will be at No.4 because he can build an innings and steady the ship whenever required while accelerating towards the end. An experienced veteran in the middle order would not only help tone the middle order, but also help in solving India's ever persistent woes. At no.4, Dhoni can bat more freely and build an innings, and more importantly, finish off in style!