Picking Team India's all-time Asia Cup XI
Team India's next international assignment comes in the form of the Asia Cup, where they will be looking to win their record-extending eighth title. The Men in Blue are the defending champions of the 50-over format of the Asia Cup, with Sri Lanka having won the T20 edition tournament in 2022.
Over the years, the tournament has brought out some special performances and moments. Its rich tradition and coveted value have often resulted in the players bringing out their A-game. Right from the first edition in 1984, a lot of gifted players from India have partaken in the tournament, and quite a few have taken it by storm.
As Team India gears up for the 2023 Asia Cup, let us take a look at their all-time Asia Cup XI, considering the performances in the tournament.
Top order - Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli
The famous duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma will for the opening combination in the playing XI. The legendary batters are among the highest run-getters in the history of the tournament.
Other opening batters like Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, and Virender Sehwag also make a strong case, but looking at the numbers, the Mumbai pair made the cut.
Tendulkar has played 23 Asia Cup matches, scoring 971 runs at an average of 51.10 and a strike rate of 85.47. He has two hundreds and seven fifties to his name as well.
The 2012 edition of the tournament marked his final endeavor as an ODI player. He departed in style, scoring a hundred and a fifty against Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, with the former being his elusive 100th International hundred. Apart from his exploits with the bat, he is among the highest wicket takers for India in the continental competition, having taken 17 wickets at an economy of 4.76.
Rohit, meanwhile, led India to the 2018 Asia Cup title in the UAE and has been a prolific batter in the tournament. He has played 22 ODIs in the Asia Cup, scoring 745 runs at an average of 46.56 and a strike rate of 84.94. His only ton in the competition came against Pakistan in the 2018 edition and apart from that he has scored six fifties as well.
The No. 3 position belongs to Virat Kohli in this playing XI. The former India skipper has played 11 matches in the competition and has scored 613 runs at an average of 61.3, with a strike rate of 97.14 to go along with it. He has scored three hundreds in the competition, with one being his career-high ODI score of 183 against Pakistan in the 2013 edition.
Middle order - Suresh Raina, Mohammad Azharuddin, and MS Dhoni
Mohammad Azharuddin led India to multiple Asia Cup titles in the 1990s and played a key role with the bat while playing in the middle order as well. His highest score of 90 in the competition came during the final of the 1994-95 edition, and overall he ended up with 468 runs in 13 innings at an average of 58.50 and a strike rate of 83.12.
Left-handed batter Suresh Raina was a long-time operator in the middle order for India and has made an impact in the Asia Cup as well. He had a prolific 2008 Asia Cup campaign in Pakistan, which led him to better things. The southpaw scored 547 runs in 13 innings at an average of 60.77 and a strike rate of 113.95.
MS Dhoni led India to the 2010 Asia Cup title in Sri Lanka and has made a strong impression with the bat as well in the competition. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 648 runs in 16 innings at an average of 64.8, with a strike rate of 87.68. He also has the most number of dismissals in the competition's history - 36 to his name (25 catches and 11 stumpings).
All-rounders and bowlers - Ravindra Jadeja, Irfan Pathan, Kapil Dev, Ravichandran Ashwin and Venkatesh Prasad
Ravindra Jadeja is Team India's leading wicket-taker among spinners in the competition, while Irfan Pathan leads the chart overall. The left-handed pair have been quite impactful in the tournament with the ball.
Jadeja has taken 19 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 4.34. Pathan, on the other hand, has claimed 22 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 5.54. 14 of his 22 scalps came during the 2004 edition, where he finished as the leading wicket-taker.
Ravichandran Ashwin emerges as the second spinner in the playing XI, which also has several part-time spin bowling options. The off-spinner has taken 14 wickets in just seven matches at an economy of 4.63.
Kapil Dev and Venkatesh Prasad make up the rest of the seam bowling department. The World Cup-winning skipper has taken 15 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 3.56. Prasad, on the other hand, took 13 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 4.44, to make a strong case for his inclusion in the playing XI.
Will any more players from the current Team India playing XI make it to the all-time Asia Cup XI? Let us know what you think.