India’s probable squad for Asia Cup 2022
Hyderabad: The Asia Cup 2022 is scheduled to begin on 27 August in the UAE. Initially, the event was scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka but it has been moved to UAE because of the ongoing political and economic crisis in the island nation.
The tournament (T20 format) features six teams. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are the confirmed teams to take part in the event. Kuwait, Hong Kong, UAE, and Singapore will compete against each other to qualify for the last spot at the Asia Cup.
Team India will take on Pakistan in their opening match of the tournament on August 28, 2022.
BCCI may likely announce the squad on August 8 (Monday). Here is what the probable squad may look like.
Deepak Chahar and KL Rahul are expected to return to national duty. Both these players have been away from the game because of fitness issues. KL Rahul along with skipper Rohit Sharma will open the innings for India. The former can also be used as a backup wicketkeeper.
Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav will bat at no. 3 and no. 4 respectively. Suryakumar Yadav’s ability to play fast-bowlers and pacers alike, with a good strike rate, makes him a crucial player in the Indian middle-order.
Shreyas Iyer, who stepped into Virat Kohli’s shoes in his absence, struggled to score runs at no.3. Taking into account his recent form, selectors may pick Deepak Hooda ahead of Shreyas Iyer.
Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rishab Pant will be the obvious choice of the selection committee. While Hardik Pandya is the first-choice all-rounder, Ravindra Jadeja will also be a key all-rounder for India.
Jasprit Bumrah, leader of the pace attack, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are sure-shot contenders as far as the fast bowling is concerned. Known for his yorkers and variations in the death overs, Arshadeep has put up an impressive show whenever he got an opportunity. He is likely to get picked ahead of Avesh Khan. But if Deepak Chahar makes a comeback, Arshdeep may get sidelined because of the former’s hitting abilities. Harshal Patel is also a strong contender for the upcoming Asia Cup. Yuzvendra Chahal is India’s first-choice leg-spinner. One can expect Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin to join Chahal in the spin department.
Squad:
Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Hooda, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshal Patel.
