Asia Cup, 2018: Team India's experimental playing XI against Afghanistan
The Indians have qualified for the final of the Asia Cup 2018 with one match to spare. Fortunately for India that one match will be against Afghanistan and not against Pakistan. When it comes to Pakistan, the Indians are expected to field their best Playing XI as a lot of pride is at stake.
That doesn’t mean India can take it easy against Afghanistan. Afghanistan should have qualified for the finals by now with a little bit of luck. After ejecting Sri Lanka from the Asia Cup, Afghanistan lost two close matches in the last over which could have gone either way. As luck would have it, instead of becoming the first team to qualify for the final, Afghanistan became the first team to be eliminated in the super four stage.
From the Indian point of view, they cannot afford to lose against Afghanistan. But at the same time, the team management should not let go the opportunity to experiment with some changes to assess the quality of the bench strength ahead of the World Cup. Taking everything into consideration, Team India should go for an overall shuffling of the team for the game against Afghanistan.
Apart from the eleven players who have played against Pakistan, the Indians have in their squad, K.L. Rahul and Manish Pandey as the reserve batsmen and Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, and Deepak Chahar as the reserve fast bowlers. These reserve players should be tried out against Afghanistan.
1. K.L. Rahul for Shikhar Dhawan
K.L. Rahul hasn’t got an opportunity to wield his bat after scoring a Test century at the Oval. On the other hand, Dhawan has been in excellent form on his return to white ball cricket. He has been on the road since the England series and Dhawan deserves some break. Now it is time for K.L. Rahul to have a hit in the middle.
2. Manish Pandey for Dinesh Karthik
Manish Pandey has been omnipresent as a substitute fielder for Team India. He even took a brilliant catch to dismiss the Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed in the group match. But Pandey is yet to make his appearance on the batting crease in this Asia Cup. He is another option the team management should look to have a look before the World Cup.
Dinesh Karthik has been given an extended spell and to his credit, he has also justified his selection ahead of Manish Pandey. Now Manish Pandey deserves a chance.
3. Khaleel Ahmed for Jasprit Bumrah
Khaleel Ahmed impressed one and all during his debut against Hong Kong. The Hong Kong batsmen found him a difficult bowler to handle with his variations in pace, swing, and angle. Team India are on the lookout for a left-arm swing bowler who could be an asset on English conditions where the upcoming World Cup will be played.
The Indians do not have quality fast bowlers as back up for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. Apart from seam bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, there is hardly anyone left to form a formidable bowling attack in one day cricket. It is time to groom youngsters like Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar keeping in mind the conditions that will be prevalent in the World Cup.
The workloads of both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah should be managed properly and they should be rested for the inconsequential match against Afghanistan.
4. Deepak Chahar for Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Deepak Chahar had played a crucial role in Chennai Super Kings’ successful IPL campaign early this year. Chahar is similar to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in effectively utilising the new ball. Chahar would be the ideal bowler on English conditions. He is also a useful late order batsman. India should rest Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the match against Afghanistan to accommodate Deepak Chahar.
Since India cannot afford to rest the spin trio of Jadeja, Chahal, and Kuldeep, Siddarth Kaul should miss out.
Team India’s experimental Playing XI against Afghanistan
1. Rohit Sharma 2. K.L. Rahul 3. Ambati Rayadu 4. M.S. Dhoni 5. Manish Pandey 6. Kedar Jadhav 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Deepak Chahar 9. Kuldeep Yadav 10. Yuzvendra Chahal and 11. Khaleel Ahmed