Asia Cup 2022: 3 most crucial players for India

The 2022 Asia Cup will be an important test for Team India as they attempt to build the right squad for the T20 World Cup, to be played in October-November this year in Australia.

The Men in Blue will take on Pakistan in their opening game of the tournament on August 28. Their squad for the Asia Cup features returning names like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul as well as young blood in the likes of Deepak Hooda, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.

India's squad for the Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

Here are India's three most important players for the 2022 Asia Cup.

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#3 Suryakumar Yadav

England v India - 3rd Vitality IT20

Suryakumar Yadav has become an integral cog in India's T20I wheel since making his debut in March 2021. He has amassed 672 runs in 23 T20Is at an average of 37.33 and a stupendous strike rate of 175.45. The stylish right-hander has five fifties to go with the splendid hundred he scored against England earlier this year.

As one of the only players in India's batting lineup capable of striking the ball at a high rate right from the start, Suryakumar has emerged as someone who can excel at all stages of the innings. Proficient against both spin and pace, the 31-year-old will be the perfect foil for the more sedate batters in the side like Rahul and Kohli.

In fact, you could even go as far as to say that unless Suryakumar fires, India's batting lineup will be stuck in second gear throughout their innings. He may not have a great record against left-arm spin, but his dominance over other match-ups makes him arguably India's most important batter.

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#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

England v India - 2nd Vitality IT20

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has well and truly earned himself a second lease of life at the international level. Now one of India's primary T20I bowlers again, the swing bowler has all but booked his ticket to Australia for the T20 World Cup.

India's Asia Cup squad features only three pacers - Bhuvneshwar, Avesh and Arshdeep. With pitches in the UAE unlikely to be as spin-friendly as initially perceived and Deepak Chahar being the only fast bowler in the reserves, Bhuvneshwar will have a massive role to play. He will have to scalp wickets in the powerplay and keep things tight at the death if India are to make the most of their bold strategy of picking only three pacers.

As the most experienced quick in the attack by far, Bhuvneshwar cannot afford to not be at the top of his game in the UAE.

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#1 Hardik Pandya

England v India - 3rd Royal London Series One Day International

Another player who has recovered from form and injury concerns to reach the top of his game again, Hardik Pandya, is in a purple patch at the moment. He captained the Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League title, thereby earning the opportunity to lead India. He hasn't disappointed, having won all his games in charge of the national team and turning in excellent all-round performances on a regular basis.

Hardik appears to be bowling better than ever, and his four overs will be invaluable to an Indian side that is - as discussed before - clearly short in the pace department. Also, the Men in Blue aren't exactly known for their batting depth in white-ball cricket, and Hardik's pyrotechnics down the order will be absolutely essential.

India simply don't have a replacement for Hardik Pandya, who is arguably their most important white-ball player right now.