Asia Cup 2018: India's ideal Playing XI against Pakistan

The Indian players are bag again donning the historic blue colored jersey of Indian cricket team in limited overs. India open their Asia Cup campaign on Tuesday (18th September) with a match against minnows Hong Kong. Team India might experiment with a few players against Hong Kong before getting into the more serious business of playing against arch-rivals Pakistan on Wednesday (19th September).

Team India, without Virat Kohli, are straight away on the back foot. Any unwarranted complication by the team management in selecting the best playing XI will further dent the team’s chances of winning against Pakistan.

This article is about selecting the best possible XI for India against Pakistan.

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Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan – The Openers

Rohit and Dhawan - Most successful Indian opening pair

Rohit Sharma is back as Captain of the team and raring to go. The interim break from International Cricket should do him a world of good. He will get a practice match against Hong Kong to test his form and fitness. But the match against Pakistan will be a different ball game altogether.

Rohit Sharma has been a nervous starter against Mohammad Amir in the recent past. The Indian fans would be better off closing their eyes to pray and to avoid distress when Amir comes onto bowl his first over to Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma would be better off with focusing on more protection on his pads because that is where Amir is going to aim at.

Having said that, if Rohit manages to survive the initial onslaught of Mohammad Amir, he is a genuine match winner and he can take the attack to the opposition. The additional responsibility of leading the team in the absence of Kohli should inspire him to perform better.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan has been elevated to the position of vice-captain of the team. No one can doubt his skills in white ball cricket on sub-continental pitches. In the last one year, the top 3 have been scoring all the runs for India. Dhawan should forget his miserable England tour and his immediate Test career and should concentrate on what lies ahead for him in white ball cricket. Dhawan is an important player for India in the forthcoming World Cup.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, the Indian openers should soak all the pressure to come on top.

3- KL Rahul

K.L. Rahul - The New No 3 for Team India in the absence of Kohli

K.L. Rahul is fresh from a Test century in the last Test match of the England series. He came good on the last day of the England tour. His recent form has been encouraging.

The Kannada batsman has all the qualities needed to be a successful one day player. To start with, he is a technically sound player who can play good cricketing shots. At the same time, he is an aggressive and busy player who can up the ante when needed.

In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rahul is presented with a very good opportunity to bat at No 3 and he should make use of this lucky break to impress the selectors. Rahul is equally good against pace and spin and if he is careful with his shot selections, he can be the man for Team India in this Asia Cup.

4- M.S. Dhoni (wicket-keeper)

Dhoni should bat at No 4 and anchor the innings

Dhoni at No 4 could bring in the kind of stability the Indian team is looking for at his own pace at the crease which will not be detrimental to the team’s cause. Once set, Dhoni is more than capable of taking any attack apart and make up for the lost time. Dhoni’s promotion to No 4 may sound illogical to experiment but should be tried as no other better option is in sight both for Dhoni and for the team.Some people might not like what they see. But now the time has come for Team India to make use of the experience of M.S. Dhoni. Dhoni has been struggling to score quickly at No 6. His finishing skills are showing signs of decline but he can still contribute to the team’s cause by anchoring the innings at No 4. Like Dhoni, the team too has a problem in identifying a solid batsman for the No 4 position. The Team Management should look at one problem as a solution to another by promoting Dhoni to No 4 position.

5- Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav - The only sixth bowling option for India

Kedar Jadhav is back into the Indian team after a long lay -off due to injury. His form and fitness will be tested in the Asia Cup. Jadhav has an edge over his rivals in middle-order for the simple reason that he can chip in with a few overs of bowling. He can be India’s surprise bowling package capable of effecting crucial breakthroughs. With the likely presence of Hardik Pandya in the playing XI, Kedar Jadhav’s contribution with the ball will be more important to make up the overs of Hardik Pandya.

Jadhav is the only specialist batsman in the squad who can role his arm around. On that count alone, his place in the playing XI is assured for the time being. But he has to justify his presence in the team as a batsman.

6- Dinesh Karthik

Karthik should be given a continuous run

Dinesh Karthik scored 21 off 22 balls in the only one day match he played against England. By virtue of his presence in the earlier one day series in England, he should be preferred ahead of Manish Pandey and Ambati Rayadu. Besides, Karthik is a better player when the team is in sight of the target. He can accelerate at the last leg of a one day match. Karthik can be the new finisher for the team along with Hardik Padya. He deserves a continuous run of matches to prove his value to the team.

7- Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya - The all-rounder

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In the whole of the England series, Hardik Pandya made his presence felt in only one Test at Nottingham which India won. But when it comes to one-day matches, he is more than a useful contributor with both bat and ball. His pace is deceptive and he can bowl at 140 clicks. Pandya’s aggressive batting is best suited for one day cricket. It is high time that Pandya should take the responsibility of a finisher in white ball cricket where his big hitting prowess will come in handy. Pandya is India’s only fast bowling all-rounder existing and should bat at No 7. If the situation demands, he can be promoted up the order

8- Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvi - Good both with the new and old ball

The one player whom India missed the most in the England series was Bhuvneshwar Kumar. India missed his effective swing bowling and late order batting. Now he is back and he is India’s No 1 bowler in white ball cricket. Kumar is good with the new ball as well at the death.

He is also a more than capable batsman at No 8. Often, he has been a part of plenty of valuable partnerships along the tail as well as regular batsmen in crisis situations. The Meerut born bowler has proved an indispensable part of the team.

9 and 10- Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal (The Wrist spin duo)

Chahal and Kuldeep - Bowling to Asian batsmen poses a new challenge

Both Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal should be pleased to bowl on spinner friendly conditions. Both the bowlers are crucial for India in the middle overs and are habitual of providing crucial wickets at regular intervals.

It remains to be seen how they will adapt to Asian batsmen who are adept at handling spinners. The Asia Cup will be a new and different challenge for the wrist spinners.

11- Jasprit Bumrah

B

umrah the yorker specialist should be mindful of the no-balls

Jasprit Bumrah along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be more than a handful. In the England one day series, Bumrah was sorely missed. Bumrah may be a little bit exhausted after his workload in the England series. But he is a terrific one day bowler, especially at the death. Kumar and Bumrah should be at their best if the Indians have any chance of containing the powerful Pakistan batting line up.

With this best playing XI, India can hope to have a more than decent chance of winning against their bitter rivals