Asia Cup team preview: India

Overview

There will be no Virat Kohli. That’s the big news as far as India – and their opponents – are concerned. The selectors have rested the team captain, with Test series against the Windies and Australia swiftly following the Asia Cup. That said, even without Kohli, India have named a squad strong enough to be considered one of the favourites to win the tournament.

Rohit Sharma will lead the side in Kohli’s absence, and his record as skipper makes for good reading: 2-1 in the one-day international series against Sri Lanka in December, and 3-0 in the Twenty20 Internationals that followed. Most notably, he also led India to victory in the T20 Nidahas Trophy, against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in March.

Some of those who were part of the Test side in England – KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah – have all been included as well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who missed the England Tests with injury, and MS Dhoni also return to action, in what will be a full-strength India side, apart from the obvious absence of Kohli.

There is good reason for that. “Two to three slots we are yet to finalise, so for those slots we are trying, and we'll look at these 24 matches (in the lead-up to the World Cup),” said MSK Prasad, the selector, while announcing the Asia Cup squad. “You'll come to know the slots more specifically as we go ahead.” It's something Sharma has acknowledged since as well – this tournament is also about the future.

India, and many of the other competing sides, see the Asia Cup as a platform to firm up plans for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which is less than a year away. The inclusion of Khaleel Ahmed, the left-arm paceman, is telling. As good as India’s attack is at the moment, they don’t have a left-arm option, and Ahmed can, possibly, make the attack more complete.

Expect more such clues to the team’s plans during the course of the tournament.

Players to watch out for

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one to keep an eye on. His last international outing – the third ODI in England – didn’t go well, with Kumar, who had been rushed back from a lower back injury layoff, aggravating the problem. He missed the entire Test series, and though he played a List A game against Australia A last month, a full tournament will be a test of his fitness.

There will be particular focus on MS Dhoni too. He was criticised for his performance with the bat in the ODIs in England, despite scoring 37 and 42, as they weren’t quick enough for some. How the veteran fares will make for interesting viewing.

Khaleel Ahmed, of course, is another player to watch out for, if the team management gives us a chance to watch him. Prasad, the selector, admitted India were keen to explore a left-arm pace option, and for Ahmed, this tournament will very much be a test. Play well enough, and he could be on the plane to England for the World Cup next year.

History in the Asia Cup

India are the most successful side in the tournament’s history. They’ve won it six times, starting with the inaugural edition in 1983 to the most recent one in 2016, which was the first to be played as a full T20I tournament.

Their highlights in the tournament include Kapil Dev’s hat-trick against Sri Lanka in 1990-91, Sachin Tendulkar bringing up his 100th international century against Bangladesh in 2012, and Kohli guiding India to victory against Pakistan in 2016, after seeing off a blistering spell from Mohammad Amir.

Schedule

18 September: v Hong Kong
19 September: v Pakistan

Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed