Asia Cup 2018: 3 Indian stars who will not play in the tournament
The 14th edition of the Asia Cup will kick off this Saturday, when Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka. It will be the third time that the tournament is being held in the United Arab Emirates.
But despite being the strongest team in the Asian subcontinent, India will not start the Asia Cup as clear favourites, and that is because the team has decided to rest a number of big names and will be looking to give the youth a chance in the tournament.
Whether this decision will come back to haunt them is going to be clear in a few days time. For now, let us take a look at 3 Indian stars who will not feature at the Asia Cup.
#3. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane is not regarded as an ODI specialist. His classy style seems more suited to Test cricket. But that does not mean that the Marathi batsman cannot be an asset to the team.
More often than not, Rahane can be relied upon to put runs on the board. They might not come at the pace of a KL Rahul or a Hardik Pandya, but they surely come, and India might miss a batsman like him if there is a collapse at the top of the order. In that situation, all the pressure will come upon the shoulders of an ageing M.S. Dhoni.
While Rahane might not be the first name on the team list, he can surely play the role of a solid middle order batsman, especially when it looks like Team India is keen to experiment in this tournament.