All-rounders from Asian teams participating in the World Cup
Any good team is characterized by the "balance" its line-up has. In this game of bat vs ball, it's the all-rounders who play a crucial role in helping the team find the perfect balance. Creating impacts with both bat and ball in hand, they are the captains' ultimate desire. England's white ball surge post-2015 has in part been due to the influx of quality all-rounders in Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes.
Their contribution in taking England to the top of ODI rankings cannot be ignored. Ever since India found Hardik Pandya, he has become a near certainty in the playing XI in the limited over outfits. These multi-faceted cricketers form an integral part of any team. So let's look at the all-rounders representing the top Asian teams -
INDIA - Hardik Pandya
Hardik made his T20 International debut for India against the Aussies down under in 2016. He was selected on the back of impressive showings for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Though he was erratic in his first game, the management knew that he was to be the answer to India's seam bowling all-rounder woes. Man of the match on his ODI debut against the visiting New Zealanders, Hardik has gone from step to step in establishing himself as the first choice all-rounder in any condition, Though initially he wasn't trusted to complete his full quota of overs, of late India are going in with Hardik as the fifth bowler,showing immense confidence in his bowling abilities. His batting skills are known to one and all anyway. Going into the 2019 World Cup, Hardik is a crucial cog in the side.
Pakistan - Shoaib Malik
More of a batting all-rounder, Shoaib Malik has been a big part of Pakistan's improvement as a white ball side. Lending his experience ever since he came back into the side, he has become arguably their most under-rated but important player. Regularly chipping in with the ball, he offers captain Sarfaraz a more than handy sixth bowling option. As depicted by his recent Asia Cup showings, with the bat he has been one of the more consistent performers for Pakistan alongside youngsters Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. There are few other all-rounders coming up the ranks too, namely Faheem Ashra and Shadab Khan. But Faheem has been plagued by inconsistency, while Shadab has a long way to go as a batsman.