Asia Cup 2018: How India will line up in the tournament

With curtains drawn on India's tour of England, the focus now shifts to UAE. The highly anticipated Asia Cup will get underway tomorrow as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka square off in the tournament opener. High-octane matches are set to take over the world for the next couple of weeks. The Indian fans, in recent times, haven't had much to cheer about.

Following series defeats in both the ODI and Test format in England, fans will be longing to see the Men in Blue add another piece of silverware to the cabinet. India's first hurdle in the Asia Cup will be in the form a triumphant Hong Kong, who will want to avenge the 2008 Asia Cup drubbing against the Indians.

The Indian team management, though, shouldn't take anything for granted and field the best possible XI right from the start.

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

The openers are expected to provide a solid start in UAE

Rohit Sharma will be itching to get some international action as he was a non-feature in the England Test series. The Mumbaikar has been in decent touch, notching centuries against both South Africa and England. Inconsistency has always been his problem but his match-winning traits make him a certainty in the squad. He will also lead the side in the Asia Cup in the absence of Virat Kohli, and the MI captain would want to keep his streak going after the successful Nidahas Trophy venture.

Dhawan had a forgettable Test series in England. The series ended before he could even start. Shikhar would want to wipe the slate clean and remind people of his worth in white-ball cricket - for he has been one of India's most consistent ODI batsmen this year. The conditions in UAE mirror the Indian conditions which will make the left-right duo a formidable force at the top.

Middle-Order: Rahul, Rayudu, and Manish

The prized number four slot is still up for grabs

Lokesh Rahul's nightmarish Test series in England turned into a fairy-tale at the eleventh hour. Just as people started losing faith in the IPL's million-dollar-man, he plundered a century out of the blue. Hopefully, it is the start of a purple patch for the Kannadiga.

The only thing which stood between Rayudu and an international comeback was the "yo-yo" test. The CSK star overcame that hurdle and helped India A lift the Quadrangular series trophy with scores of 62, 48, and 66. With Rayudu in his prime, the number four conundrum for the World Cup might finally end.

Manish Pandey looked out of sorts in the IPL this year and consequently was snubbed for the England tour. The SRH star didn't waste any time knocking on the selectors' door again by piling on 306 runs in 4 innings and remained unbeaten on all occasions. Another contender for the coveted number four spot, Pandey has a lot at stake in this tournament.

Wicket-Keeper: MS Dhoni

Dhoni might be used as a floater in Asia Cup

Mahi will return after an uninspiring couple of innings in England. A lot was expected from the veteran following his stellar run for the Chennai Super Kings this year. With 10,000 ODI runs under his belt, Dhoni knows what is best for him and the team. The management will expect the wicket-keeper to hit some much-needed form ahead of the World Cup next year.

All-Rounder: Hardik Pandya

Pandya will act as the third seamer for India

2018 has been a reserved year for the big-hitting all-rounder so far as he doesn't have anything particular to boast about in the white-ball format. His outing in the Tests in England lacked the assurance one would expect from an all-rounder. Anyway, Pandya might feature as a valuable and essential third seamer for India in UAE.

Spinners: Kuldeep and Chahal

India's wrist spin-twins will be the key to India's title defense

"KulCha” as they are fondly known have asserted themselves as India's frontline spinners in recent years with good reason. The left-arm chinaman accounted for the most wickets in ODIs in both South Africa and England.

Though Chahal couldn't replicate his success from South Africa in England, the dusty pitches in UAE are bound to keep the lanky leg-breaker interested right from ball one.

The Indian team's chances in the tournament might be contingent on the performance of its prized spin duo.

Seamers: Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah

Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah will look to tighten the death overs

It's been a while since we've seen these pace guns bowl in tandem. Bumrah was unavailable for the ODIs in England and Bhuvneshwar's injury ruled him out of the Test series. The only common factor was we lost both the series.

Bumrah will be raring to get into the blues and crush toes with his yorkers again. The nonchalant Bhuvneshwar's pinpoint accuracy and swing can unsettle any opposition. Both the bowlers are textbook new-ball as well as stingy death bowlers which will act as an added advantage to India. Pandya can complement them as the third seamer in the pacer-unfriendly UAE strips.