Asia Cup 2018: India's Predicted Squad
As the schedule for the Asia Cup 2018 was officially released on 24th July 2018, it called for a lot of controversy as India will be facing a yet to qualify associate team on 18th September and will be taking on Pakistan on the 19th of September. The fact that the Indian team doesn't get even a day of rest is what has angered officials and former players.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) however has confirmed that there will be no change to the schedule and India will have to play two games in two days.
The 2018 Asia Cup will be an ODI tournament that shall now be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in September 2018, with matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It will be the 14th Asia Cup, and the third time the tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates.
Playing two ODIs in two days might be slightly taxing for the players. The humiliation India faced at the hands of Pakistan last year in the Champions Trophy final, still gives pangs to Indian fans. India has a huge debt to pay back to Pakistan.
Let us have a look at the Probable Indian Squad for the tournament:-
TOP ORDER:
Rohit Sharma
Mr. 200 or Hitman, whatever you may call him, he is the backbone of any high scoring Indian innings. With the kind of reputation he has built for himself at that position and the kind of improvement and consistency he has shown over the last one and a half years, he is certain to open the innings and his fans would definitely be hoping to see another 200 from him. He is yet to show the same consistency and class outside of India, or rather, outside the subcontinent and would be itching to correct that.
Shikhar Dhawan
The degree of improvement this man has shown over the last 12-16 months, across formats, is just phenomenal. He has shown unexpected levels of consistency, something that he lacked earlier, and it would be a sure thing to include him.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul had been missing from the selectors' radar up until IPL 2018, where he created havoc with the bat. That led to him being included in the T20i squad against England, and he took the opportunity with open arms and slammed his second T20I Hundred. Therefore, at the moment, there is no better third opener for India than KL Rahul. He can also bat at number four if need be.
