India best possible XI for Asia Cup 2018

With less than a year to go for the 2018 Cricket World Cup, the Asia Cup will be a good challenge for Asian teams to test their side and finalize the squads for the mega event. The Asia Cup squad was announced earlier today and the biggest talking point was Virat Kohli getting his well-deserved rest. This decision meant that Rohit Sharma will captain India this time around and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan will take up the role of Vice Captain.

Although the core of the team has been retained there are few surprise additions and some major omissions in the squad. Suresh Raina and Umesh Yadav have been dropped while players like Manish Pandey, Kedhar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu are making their comeback and the uncapped faster bowler Khaleel Ahmed is also added to the squad.

India Asia Cup 2018 Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed.

Here is the best XI that India can field for the Asia Cup to defend the championship.

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Openers

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

The Southpaw from Delhi loves batting in the limited overs format. He is one of the best openers in cricket today and will be a vital cog in this Indian unit. While his current stint in England in the longer formats of the game has been abysmal, but expect him to turn this around in the Asia Cup. He has also been the highest run scorer of India in 2013 as well as 2017 edition of Champions Trophy.

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#2 Rohit Sharma (c)

Will we witness a 4th double Century?

India's three-time double centurion will be seen leading India into this tournament. Rohit will have extra pressure on his shoulders not only as captain but also as a player as Rohit will be the premier batsman in the team in the absence of Virat Kohli. Rohit has shown signs that he can handle this extra it will be interesting how copes up with the challenge this time around. India's hopes in this competition revolve highly around the form of Rohit Sharma.

Middle Order

#3 Lokesh Rahul

Rahul likely to bat at No.3

The Karnataka opener has been in sensational form right from IPL to the limited overs leg in the English tour. One can expect him to take up the place left by Virat Kohli. It is generally difficult for anyone for play at no.3 but even more difficult to fill in the boots of Virat Kohli, but Lokesh Rahul is one batsman who certainly can. Rahul has only played 12 ODIs and averages a mere 32, expect him to come good in this competition. Rahul is also just one good series away from cementing his spot in the World Cup playing XI.

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#4 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik

In a sense 2018 has been the year of redemption for Dinesh Karthik, starting from the last ball sixer in the Nidahas trophy to leading his IPL team to the playoffs as a captain. Dinesh Karthik will so try to make a good impression for himself to secure the spot of the backup wicketkeeper. He will try to help Dhoni and Hardik Pandya in the finishing aspect of the game as well.

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#5 MS Dhoni(WK)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

2018 has been a turnaround year for MS Dhoni in many ways. He seems to have rewind the clock to the World Cup winning days which was clearly visible from his time in this years IPL. He has aged like a fine wine. MS just crossed 10K runs in ODI format. His work with the gloves behind the stumps has also been equally important. The young Kuldeep and Chahal have benefitted with Dhoni's support, and India would like to win this for MSD as this may be his last Asia Cup.

All Rounder

#6 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav is making his comeback to this Indian team after being out with a hamstring injury. Jadhav will be looking to regain the spot that he never rightfully lost. India has found the unlikeliest spinner in Kedar, and this spinner will have a crucial role if Pandya or anyone other main bowlers have a bad day. With his cheeky and unorthodox shots, he will be useful in finishing overs.

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#7 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has established himself as the No.1 all-rounder for India in all formats of the game. Every time things sort of happen around Hardik Pandya, and this is the type of player who is more valuable in the team. Aggressive, and flamboyant, his skills as a finisher will play a major role in this series. Pandya has shown a lot of promise over the time, and this Asia Cup can be the stage to demonstrate some of those talents.

Bowlers

#8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The Unsung hero

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the most improved bowlers in recent history. He is a master of swing which allows him to take wickets up top but with constant 140+ clicks and lethal yorkers, Bhuvneshwar has become a death bowling specialist. He can come handy with the bat as he has the knack of hanging with any other regular batsmen. Kumar is an out and out team player that every captain would love to have on his team.

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#9 Kuldeep Yadav

The Mystery Spinner

The Chinaman bowler will be seen playing his first major tournament. He has tormented every opponent put before him, and has been successful in all types of wickets. This is a bigger stage for him to prove once again why he is the best spinner right now in the limited overs format. Kuldeep has taken 48 wickets in just 23 matches. His unorthodox bowling will be handy in the middle overs, and he will be looking to pick wickets and choke the runs along with his partner in crime Chahal.

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#10 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal along with this partner Kuldeep has performed exceedingly well in the past one year. Chahal has picked up 45 wickets in just 26 matches that he has played. Chahal is not afraid to toss the ball up and get hit for runs. Like always, India will be looking towards Chahal, and his partner Kuldeep to get the job done. This may well be the series where he secures his spot for the World Cup.

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#11 Jasprit Bumrah

Boom Boom Bumrah

The World's No.1 ODI bowler will be looking at this Asia Cup as a training ground before the big event next year. Bumrah has been the captain's go to bowler in all formats of the game, and Rohit Sharma will be looking at Bumrah to lead the attack when the chips are down. His slow knuckle balls, and his lethal yorkers can deceive even the best batsmen. Bumrah is the pillar of Indian bowling attack and he will be key in India's Asia Cup defence.