Asia Cup 2018: How will India's ODI squad look like

Cricket first came into existence in England and later spread to Australia and other British colonies. The first edition of the Asia Cup took place in the year 1984 in Sharjah. India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are the major nations part of this prestigious league. India is the most successful team winning it six times ( five in ODIs and 1 in T20s ) while Sri Lanka is the second most successful team winning it five times.

The 14th edition of the tournament is scheduled to start, from 15th September, the qualifier is going to start on 29th August. Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka have made a direct entry to the Asia Cup whereas the remaining two slots are up for grabs in the qualifiers. Virat Kohli-led Indian side are one of the favorites to win the tournament with most of their bases covered. With nearly a month to go, We will look at the possible Indian squad.

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Openers- Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma.

India is one of the few countries to have an opening combination which hasn't changed over a long time. Shikhar Dhawan, the left-handed opening batsman who scored plenty of runs in the ODIs, was in a pale form against England in both the ODIs and Tests.

Dhawan will continue to be a part of the playing XI as he is an integral part of the Indian setup. Rohit Sharma is one of the best openers in the world and is a mainstay in the Indian side. So there is no sense of changing the opening order.

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Middle-order - Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, and Shreyas Iyer.

KL Rahul was thought to be a perfect solution for the No.4 spot but failed to reach the expectations. He will get the nod for the Asia Cup as he got a century in the T20I series against England.

Suresh Raina can be the sixth bowler for the Indian side. Raina can add the experience to the inconsistent Indian middle order which has backfired in the recent past. There is no point of dropping Iyer as he hasn't had many match games in the recent past.

Wicketkeepers- MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik

India has never been short of a good keeper when it comes it to the limited overs as they have a legend who has been donning the gloves for 13 years. His presence in the field brings a lot of experience to the squad as he assists the bowlers from behind the stumps. Dhoni's recent series against England didn't go well as he was one of the main reasons for India losing the ODI series.

Dinesh Karthik's recent ODI performance might earn him a spot in the Indian side for the Asia Cup. He could also be handy with the gloves serving as a backup keeper for the veteran M.S.Dhoni. Even though his test form is not quite promising, his IPL stint with Kolkata Knight Riders will help him book a slot for the Asia Cup 2018.

All-Rounders- Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar.

India over the years had plenty of spin bowling all-rounders, but a few fast bowling all-rounders came and went away quickly. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Yuvraj Singh, who believed to be in the squad till the 2019 World Cup, find it hard to make into the ODI squad.

As India was searching for a genuine fast bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya was the answer with his heroics in the IPL. Asia Cup to be played at UAE will assist spin, so it is better to have a spin all-rounder who can bowl in the powerplay.

Washington Sundar, the off-spin all-rounder, was very economical in the Nidahas Trophy earlier this year and has helped India win it. Washington Sundar will be aiming to make an impact after missing the England tour due to injury. Even though he might not make to the playing XI, Sundar could play against qualifier teams.

Spinners- Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal make one of the best bowling pairs destroying the batsman whenever they get to the bowl.

One might surely not think beyond them as they are an integral part of the limited overs squad. India's success in the recent past is related to the evolution of spin duos who are dominating the bowling charts.

It will be a surprise if anyone other than them gets the nod for the Asia Cup which is a memorandum for the ICC World Cup.

Fast Bowlers- Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammad Siraj

India's pace attack wasn't up to the mark in the last Asia cup held in Bangladesh. This time India will go with one of the best pace attacks with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar swings the ball at the start and also bowl some knuckleballs at the death. Jasprit Bumrah has been in good form since his debut for India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are certainties for the World Cup Indian side.

Umesh Yadav might get a nod for the Asia cup as his Test performance looks promising. While Siraj's inclusion may come to a surprise but his recent form provides a good sample size. Siraj took his maiden ten-wicket haul against South Africa held in Bangalore.

The selectors will keep in mind the next year's ICC World cup while selecting the team for the Asia Cup.