Asia Cup 2022: All 7 Indian players who were part of the 2018 edition as well
After almost four years, the Asia Cup is set to return with the continent's top teams facing off against each other later this month. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will square off against each other in the opening game of the tournament on August 27.
The tournament will be a T20I event this time since it will provide the six participating Asian teams a significant opportunity to warm up before the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia later this year.
India will head into the tournament as strong favorites to lift the coveted trophy. The Men in Blue recently named a strong 15-man squad for the tournament, with a mix of experience and youth on their roster.
They will enter the tournament as the defending champions as well, having won the last edition held in 2018. India went unbeaten during the competition, running past Bangladesh in the final in Dubai.
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Ahead of Asia Cup 2022, we take a look at seven Indian players who featured in the 2018 edition also. These players will be in action again and would be looking to win the tournament in the shorter format also.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja
Over the years, Ravindra Jadeja has grown in stature and is now a key member of the Indian team across formats. However, the quality all-rounder wasn't part of the original Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2018.
Jadeja was added as a replacement for Hardik Pandya, who was ruled out of the tournament due to an on-field injury. The left-armer, however, made a decent contribution for India, claiming seven scalps in four games. Jadeja will look to once again impress in the upcoming tournament.
#2 Hardik Pandya
As mentioned earlier, Hardik Pandya missed a major chunk of 2018 edition of the Asia Cup 2018 as he suffered an acute lower back spasm during India's group game against Pakistan.
Since then, Hardik has become more prone to injury. His international career went downhill and he was even dropped from the Indian side later. However, a rejuvenated Pandya turned up earlier this year when he guided his IPL franchise Gujarat Titans to their maiden title.
The all-rounder has been in terrific form with both bat and ball since then and is now a crucial cog in the wheel for the Indian team.
#3 Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal became a regular fixture in India's white-ball matches after the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Kuldeep Yadav and him made a solid pair and were India's go-to options during the middle phase of the game.
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However, while the left-arm wrist spin bowler is now not a first-choice spinner in the team, Chahal has been a consistent force with his leg-breaks and googlies. The diminutive tweaker is India's leading wicket-taker in T20Is and will play a vital part in the Asia Cup 2022 for the Men in Blue.