Well, it's almost time! India and Pakistan are set for a huge clash on Sunday, August 29, that is ought to set the Asia Cup rolling. Ahead of the clash vs Pakistan, there are a lot of questions surrounding the playing 11 for India.
Questions like will Virat Kohli open? Where will Suryakumar Yadav play since Rahul is back? Will the team drop Dinesh Karthik in place of Rishabh Pant? Can the team find a place for Deepak Hooda?
Here is the probable playing 11 of India for their clash against Pakistan.
Openers - Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have both games up their sleeves. They can attack from the word go and can also take time at the beginning of the ball is seaming around. Rohit Sharma's credentials as a T20I opener need to introduction. During the series vs England and West Indies, Sharma showed signs of getting back to his best.
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Virat Kohli is coming back after a break and from the looks of the videos posted by BCCI, he looks confident and is timing the ball pretty well. His recent struggles are known to everyone, but he is a big player and would like to make a grand comeback.
Middle Order - KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant
Since Kohli is moving up the order, KL Rahul is a straight replacement at number three. He comes back afer a big break and seemed out of touch in the series vs Zimbabwe. He is a proven performer though and would like to get back to his best sooner rather than later.
Suryakumar Yadav has been in top form in the blue jersey. He has been fantastic with his ability to up the ante and counterattack. His brilliance was on full display vs England where he scored a blistering century.
Rishabh Pant hasn't had a great time in T20Is. His last score was 44(31) vs West Indies. But other than that, it has mostly been a lacklustre display. But considering his reputation, the team would be tempted to play him.
All-rounders - Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja
The all-rounder's space is non-negotiable. Both Hardik and Jadeja are the best in the business. Hardik in particular has shown signs of massive improvement in the way he bowls. His batting wasn't an issue anyways.
Jadeja has been sort of quiet after the CSK debacle, but the southpaw has all the ingredients to be a massive player for India in the Asia Cup.
Bowlers - Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
The bowling section of Team India wears a settled look. The pitches aid slow bowlers so Chahal and Ashwin can really trouble the batters. Bhuvneshwar Kumar relies on varying his pace, and he can be a tough customer to deal with at the end.
Arshdeep Singh is a similar bowler and he bowls at the start, during the middle overs, and at the death. His tendency to put in his back even for slower deliveries can get him good results on the pitches that may be on offer.
However, Kumar is the most experienced pacer in the line-up and more often than not, he will have to shoulder the responsibility in Bumrah's absence.
