Asia Cup 2018: India's Predicted Starting XI
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a strong 16-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup which is set to start on15th of September in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Interestingly rather very aptly, Virat Kohli has been rested for the tournament owing to his extensive workload which has taken a toll on Virat's fitness in the recent past. As a result, Rohit Sharma has been named the captain for the tournament. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan has been named the deputy to Rohit Sharma.
With a lot of prominent options in the Indian squad for Asia Cup, selecting a starting XI will remain an uphill task for the Indian management. Thus, let us look at the probable starting XI for Asia Cup.
India's Squad for Asia Cup 2018: 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, and Khaleel Ahmed.
Openers: Rohit Sharma (C) and Shikhar Dhawan
Unquestionably, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will be facing the opening music for India in the upcoming Asia Cup. Moreover, after having assumed the captaincy for Asia Cup, Rohit is least likely to tinker the opening combination for the Asia Cup.
Rohit has had a mediocre ODI series against England where raked up 154 runs from three innings which also include a solitary century. Hence, cometh the Asia Cup, Hitman will look to lead from the front and will undoubtedly prove to be a key player for India.
On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan had an on-off ODI series against England where he looked good but failed to convert his starts into the fifties and hundreds. Nevertheless, the deputy to Rohit Sharma would be looking forward to the Asia Cup with an eagerness to perform well for India.
Hence, no questions asked, the Rohit-Dhawan seems a straightforward affair for the Asia Cup.