Positives Team India can take from Asia Cup 2018

#1 Middle-order taking the responsibility

Since last five years, India’s top order have piled a plethora of runs. The only loose strand in the team was unstable middle order. Whenever the top-order collapsed, the weakness was exposed. Over the past few years, India has tried a lot of players for position number 4 and 5, but none of them could nullify the middle-order woes.

When the squad for Asia Cup was announced, lots of eyebrows were raised over the selection of players such as- Why has Virat Kohli been rested when the middle-order looks brittle? But, the performance of senior guys like Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu is a relief for the selectors as well as the team management. Rayudu returned to the national squad after clearing the Yo-Yo test.

The Hyderabadi batsman looked good in the course of the tournament and finished a couple of games for the team. He had a decent run in the tournament with a tally of 175 runs in six matches. Dinesh Karthik is the kind of guy who has been in and out of the team since the past 14 years. 'DK' was impressive in handling the situation and understanding the need of the hour throughout the tournament. Keeping in mind the experience he possesses, team management would like to have Karthik as a part of their future plans.

With the return of Virat Kohli at no.3 and Jadhav holding his place at no.6, the places for grabs will be no.4 and no.5. Players like KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Shreyas Iyer and also, MS Dhoni who has struggled over the years with the bat, would compete for these places.