Asia Cup 2018: 3 Players India must play for the remainder of the tournament

After a long and tiring tour of England & Wales, the Indian cricket team is currently involved in the Asia Cup that is being played in the UAE. A lot of players have come in straight from the tour of England into this series, whereas there are some fresh faces who represent India only in ODIs and T20Is.

The haphazard and bizarre scheduling in this Asia Cup means that the teams are playing back to back games. The itinerary is leaving very little time for players to get physically and mentally fresh. The rather tightly packed tournament has left countries like India and Bangladesh red-faced.

Amidst all this ongoing chaos, India had a real big scare against minnows Hong Kong in their tournament opener. After Shikhar Dhawan’s quick century, the team couldn’t capitalize and then Hong Kong really pushed India to the brinks as they posted a mammoth 174-run opening partnership. India had to toil hard to win the match.

India bounced back the very next day with a clinical team performance against their arch-rivals Pakistan. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kedhar Jadhav were the chief architects in plotting Pakistan’s downfall.

But in the aftermath of two consecutive games in hot and humid conditions in Dubai, three Indian players were sent back home owing to injury concerns. Shradul Thakur, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya have been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2018. They have been replaced by Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Siddharth Kaul for the remainder of the tournament.

With India having comfortably qualified for the Super Four stages of the tournament with two wins, here’s looking at three players who should be played for the remainder of the tournament:

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KL Rahul

KL Rahul

A player with abundant talent and potential- KL Rahul should have cemented his place in the ODI team by now, but that hasn’t happened. He has been with the squad but has not got enough opportunities to prove himself.

A batsman who was considered mainly a Test match material, proved all his critics wrong with some scintillating performances for Kings XI Punjab(KXIP) in IPL 2018. His ability to strike the ball cleanly, and the fact that he plays both spin and pace equally well makes him an asset to have in any team.

With the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Kedhar Jadhav coming into the side, KL Rahul has been sidelined so far in this Asia Cup. KL Rahul, for starters, can play in place of Shikhar Dhawan in today’s clash against Bangladesh. With more important games coming up Shikhar Dhawan could be rested for this game.

But even during the super four stages of the tournament, there is a strong case for playing KL Rahul in the middle-order. With India looking to lock their team combination ahead of the World Cup, it’s high time KL Rahul gets more opportunities in the playing XI to prove himself.

His career hasn’t been too flashy so far with an average of 32.13 in 11 matches with one hundred. In order to replicate his IPL 2018 magic again, there is no doubt that KL Rahul should be given a spot in this Indian team against Bangladesh and in the Super Four stages of the 2018 Asia Cup.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been far too inconsistent for his own liking in the limited overs formats for India. Although the left-handed allrounder automatically finds a place in India’s Test squad, post-June 2017, he hasn’t made it to India’s ODI or T20I team.

A lacklustre IPL 2018 for Chennai Super Kings(CSK) meant that he couldn’t force his way back into the reckoning for a spot in India’s World Cup plans. An injury to Axar Patel and his spirited performance with the bat and ball in the last Test match against England, meant that the selectors decided to bring back Ravindra Jadeja into the ODI team instead of Krunal Pandya. Krunal was considered a strong favourite to make a case to feature in India’s World Cup squad.

Ravindra Jadeja’s selection into the ODI based on his most recent success in the Test match format may have rustled a few feathers, but now that the all-rounder has got the opportunity, he needs to make it count. He has a fair amount of experience in the ODI format- 155 wickets in 93 matches an average of 35.58.

Now that he has got the opportunity to play on slow, turning surfaces at Dubai, Ravindra Jadeja should announce himself again in this format. India are looking for a strong candidate who can be a backup for Hardik Pandya for the all-rounder’s spot in the World Cup squad.

Can Axar Patel’s loss be Ravindra Jadeja’s gain? We will have to wait and watch.

Siddarth Kaul

Siddarth Kaul

Another fast bowler who gained recognition post his consistent performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH) in the IPL, Siddarth Kaul made his international debut for India in the limited-overs leg of their tour of England and Wales in 2018.

A lanky fast bowler, his variations is his biggest strength. He has mastered the knuckle ball and that is his biggest weapon, especially in the death overs. He keeps his cool under pressure, another quality of his which has fast racked his foray into the Indian team.

With Shradul Thakur and Hardik Pandya ruled out of the 2018 Asia Cup with injuries, it presents an ideal opportunity for Siddarth Kaul to cement his place in the ODI team. With Bhuneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah leading the pace attack, India are on a look for the one change pacer heading into the World Cup.

The injury to Shradul Thakur provides a golden opportunity for Siddarth Kaul.