Asia Cup: India's probable 15-member squad and starting XI

Middle-order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu

Virat Kohli forms the backbone of team India

The number 3 slot is a no-brainer. The slot is not going to be up for grabs any time soon. India's inexorable run-machine scored his career-best 183* against neighbours Pakistan in the 2012 edition of Asia cup. He would look to make a mark in this year's tournament ahead of the World Cup.

The biggest beneficiary of this year's IPL, Lokesh Rahul has had testing times post the IPL. He fared ordinarily in the first two ODIs against England and was consequently axed for the third. The way the Indan team management handled Rahul didn't garner a lot of support. What Rahul brings to the table in the white-ball format has been acknowledged by fans and pundits alike. Rahul is likely to get an extended run and will start in the middle-order for team India.

The google search for 'yo-yo' test took a soar when Ambati Rayudu was dropped from the ODI squad for the England tour. The truckload of runs he amassed in the IPL handed him his ticket to an international comeback. Unfortunately, it was a case of 'so close, yet so far' for him as he flunked the mandatory Yo-Yo test. If Rayudu overcomes this hurdle then he will well be on his way to UAE. The reassuring solidity that accompanies Rayudu is what the Indian middle-order was bereft of in England.