Asia Cup 2018: 5 Indian batsmen who could cement their place in the 2019 World Cup squad

The race to become the Asian Champion has already begun in the Asia Cup 2018, and one of the giants Sri Lanka is already knocked out of the tournament. India will start their campaign against Hong Kong on 18th September while their biggest challenge awaits against their arch-rivals Pakistan on 19th September.

The World Cup is just eight months away, and most of the teams are almost ready with their blueprint of the squad. India, on the other hand, are also prepared and would look to resolve the middle order conundrum. It has been one of the grey areas where the Men in Blue would look to improve, and this multi-event tournament provides the perfect platform for it.

Without the services of Virat Kohli, Indian batsmen will have to play with more responsibilities in the middle order. The selectors have included a lot of experienced players who have done well for India A or in the domestic circuit. It could be the last opportunity for all the fringe players to showcase their skills and cement their spot in the World Cup 2019.

Let us find out which Indian batsman in the Asia Cup has a better chance in the next year's mega event.

---

#5 Dinesh Karthik

Karthik could be the finisher at number six

The journey of Dinesh Karthik has been a roller coaster ride from his heroics in the Nidihas Trophy final to a bizarre outing in the England Test series. There was a lot of expectancy hovering around him that he might deliver in Tests, but he failed to grab the opportunity.

Karthik has been selected in the Asia Cup tournament, and it could be his last rehearsal for the World Cup 2019. It will be a tough competition for him to prove his mettle as a most of the other batsmen are looking in good form.

The Tamil Nadu batsman would look to perform and maximize his batting potential to grab a spot in the fragile middle order. His ability to finish games in a difficult situation makes him a strong contender for the World Cup squad.

#4 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav can single-handedly turn the game with his unorthodox cricket

Kedar Jadhav made a comeback into the Indian squad after a long time having recovered from injury. It was a surprise inclusion as he did not play any competitive cricket in months.

Jadhav has a golden opportunity to make a case for the World Cup squad. In the past, he has proved to be the game changer with his power hitting and has finished games for India. Apart from batting, his part-time bowling is more than handy and has broken crucial partnership when required.

India needs a sixth bowling option to provide a cushion in case if any of the five regular bowlers have a bad day. With Kedar's bowling abilities, he might make into the playing XI for the mega event in 2019.

#3 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu could be the perfect fit in the middle order at number four or five

Ambati Rayudu had a huge setback after he was dropped for the England ODI series as he failed to clear Yo-Yo Test. He has been named in the Indian squad for Asia Cup after continuing his good form in the recent Quadrangular series and has one more opportunity to prove his worth in the team.

In four matches, Rayudu had scored 187 runs at an average of 62.33 with two half-centuries to his name. Also in this year's IPL, he had scored over 600 runs and looked in great touch for Chennai Super Kings.

The Hyderabad batsman with his current form will get opportunities to bat higher up the order and would look to score big runs in this tournament. He could be the key for India's number four batting slot which has been a long time issue.

Rayudu has the experience of batting in the middle order and could make a place for himself in next year's World Cup in 2019.

#2 Manish Pandey

Pandey has the technique and temperament to succeed in crucial situations

Manish Pandey has been selected in the team for Asia Cup 2018 after an impressive performance in the recently concluded Quadrangular series. In this series, he remained unbeaten in all the matches he played and scored runs consistently. In four matches, he scored 306 runs with one century and two half-centuries to his name.

It could be Pandey's last opportunity to cement his place in the Indian team for the mega event next year. The Karnataka batsman is in a great form, and he would look to have big scores to his name. His ability to finish games could be the crucial factor for his selection in the Indian team.

If Pandey performs and finishes more matches for India, he could be slotted for the number five or six in the batting order for the next year's World Cup.

#1 Lokesh Rahul

KL Rahul has been an integral part of the Indian team

One of the big positives from the England tour was the emergence of KL Rahul as a batsman. He has vastly improved his batting skills and had scored two centuries in the entire tour, one in the T20I match and other in the last Test of the series.

In the IPL 2018 edition, Rahul had scored 659 runs at an amazing strike-rate of 140 and had ten half-centuries to his name. He will likely bat higher in the order and would look to fill the big void of Virat Kohli.

The Karnataka batsman has a strong technique and the ability to score runs quickly when on a song. He would like to grab this opportunity with both hands to make a strong case for the World Cup 2019 and could take the number four batting slot if he scores the runs consistently.