Predicting India's strongest playing XI for their Asia Cup opening match
India will play the Asia cup for the 13th time, which is the most of any team besides Sri Lanka, who are making their 14th appearance. India also have 6 titles, which are the most by any team. In the Indian team, Virat Kohli has been rested and Rohit Sharma has been given the captaincy. Uncapped left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed has been a surprise inclusion in the squad. Let's take a look at what could be India's starting XI for the opening match of the Asia Cup.
Openers
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma has been India's most consistent opening batsman, and on his day he can smash any bowler out of the park, as evident from his 3 double centuries. While his Asia Cup record is nowhere near his overall record, he nevertheless remains India's first choice opener for the Asia Cup.
Shikhar Dhawan
While Shikhar Dhawan hasn't been in the best test form as of late, he still remains India's top choice batsman to open the innings along with Rohit Sharma. He also has a better Asia Cup average than his overall, so he will be the first choice opener for India. In addition, he is in decent touch in limited-overs cricket.
Middle Order
KL Rahul
KL Rahul has been in good touch after his century in his previous match and will be full of confidence. He has not impressed with his performance as a number 4 batsman, but he may perform better at the number 3 position because that will be closer to his best slot which is opening the innings. He can act like an anchor and accelerate when the time comes.