Asia Cup 2018 Indian Squad: A SWOT Analysis
The Asia Cup 2018 is scheduled to start from 15th September in the UAE. A 16-member Indian squad for the same was announced by the BCCI.
Rohit Sharma will lead the team with fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy since skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the tournament as a result of heavy workload and a shoulder injury troubling him throughout the England tour.
The squad marks the return on Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The selectors have also recalled Manish Pandey, Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav for the tournament while Suresh Raina, Umesh Yadav and Siddharth Kaul who were all a part of the Indian ODI setup in England miss out.
Here, we analyse the Indian squad stating their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ahead of the tournament :
Strengths:
It is no secret that Indian cricket has seen a bowling revelation in the past couple of years and with India sporting a full strength bowling squad once again, the expectations will be understandably high.
India's premier bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar marks a return to the team after a period of rehabilitation having suffered a lower-back injury in the England tour. He made an impressive comeback to competitive cricket after picking up 3/33 in India A's win over South Africa A.
Jasprit Bumrah has been in incredible form with the ball having claimed 11 wickets in 2 Tests vs England. Hardik Pandya is the automatic third choice seamer with his all-round skills and one can expect him to aid Kumar and Bumrah in most matches as the third pacer should India decide to play a 3-2 combination. Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur make up the rest of the fast bowling lot.
India's spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have shown their mettle with the white ball and are expected to be a handful on the dusty UAE pitches. India also have the left-arm spin of Axar Patel to fall back to.
India's bowling attack brims with immense variety and form on paper and the onus will be on the boys to deliver.