Asia Cup 2018: India's Predicted Squad

LOWER MIDDLE ORDER AND FINISHERS

MS Dhoni

Number 5 remains MS Dhoni's spot. With his sheer ability to play with the batsmen's minds from behind the stumps and with the bowlers' minds while batting, he is a must for the Indian middle order. With age, his hitting abilities seem to have subsided a bit, but this IPL he showed us that age is just a number.

What we saw at CSK was a batting masterclass from MS Dhoni, who reinvented himself as a batsman, more often than not coming in to bat at number 4 and hammering the bowlers all around the park like vintage MSD. He has proven all his critics wrong by playing some out of the world knocks with some staggering shots, and that is what makes him the ideal number 5 for India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant

Much has been said about this young batting powerhouse, but it never seems enough. When Rishabh Pant plays a big innings, one just cannot look away from his/her television set. He has always been a big hitter of the cricket ball, predominantly strong on the leg side and always looking out for big shots.

In the recently concluded IPL, he announced himself as a complete batsman, who could bat up the order and bat as per the situation. He played a lot of nicely paced innings, unlike his previous style of going against the bowlers from the onset. Also, he has added a wide array of shots to his repertoire. He can now be called a complete batsman, who is ready for a national call-up. He is also probably the best possible replacement for MS Dhoni in the long run, as he can keep wickets and also hit the ball really hard. It is strange to not see him in either of the squads to face England, but he can surely make it to the World Cup squad.

Hardik Pandya

Having proven himself time and again as a world class finisher and a fast bowler who can not only bowl those extra overs, but can also play as a full quota bowler for India, Hardik Pandya has come a long way from what he initially was. When he had arrived, he was this thin guy who could slog and hit a few sixes along with bowling a few overs of seam in between. What we see today is a far more matured and developed cricketer who knows how to build an innings along with hitting those biggies and also someone who can bowl a full quota of 10 overs just like a normal fast bowler.

He has played some exhilarating knocks with the bat and also taken crucial wickets, along with being a classy fielder. He has become very very popular among the fans and has lots to offer. He cannot be ignored from any lineup.