Asia Cup 2022: Three dilemmas ahead of Team India
India recently announced their 15-man squad for the Asia Cup which is going to be played in the UAE. They have also named three reserve players for the event. Usually, a high-profile tournament, this Asia Cup will serve more as a testing ground for the teams which are looking forward to the T20 World Cup. India under Rohit Sharma will be eager to win the silverware which has eluded them since their triumph in the inaugural edition back in 2007. Here are the dilemmas in front of them.
Rohit Sharma’s opening partner?
India have tried as many as eight opening batters in T20Is this year. The longest rope was given to Ishan Kishan who featured in 14 T20Is for India this year. The left-handed wicketkeeper-batter excelled in home conditions but was troubled outside India and does not find a place in the Asia Cup squad. Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav are the other two contenders who have opened multiple times for India this year.
While Rohit Sharma is certain to open the innings, team India will have to pin down who his opening partner will be. KL Rahul, who is recovering from injuries and COVID-19, is the frontrunner. However, it pairs up two right-handers at the top which will allow the opposition to strategise better. The Indian team management will have to solve this puzzle.
Where does Virat Kohli bat?
Not a long ago, Virat Kohli was leading this Indian outfit in the T20I format. However, the earth has taken a quick turn and it has changed quite a lot for Kohli. The former captain has played only 4 T20Is this year. Rohit Sharma, the current captain, has featured in 14 encounters in the same period. The absence from the line-up shall hurt the batter with plenty of strong contenders for the middle order emerging in the meanwhile. His lack of form in the other formats shall also have a bearing on his mindset.
Almost three-fourths of Kohli’s career T20I runs have come at number three and he’s likely to continue batting there. However, it will again put the trio of Rohit-KL Rahul-Kohli at the top which failed to fire in the T20 World Cup 2021. The number three position seems the only possible batting position for Kohli as of now.
The middle order muddle
This is a problem of plenty. India’s top four are most likely to be Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. With his all-around contributions, Hardik Pandya is a must-pick. The bowling department takes up another four spots which are likely to be filled by three pacers and a spinner. This leaves us with two empty slots to be taken up by Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja. The all-round skills of Ravindra Jadeja are likely to favour his selection which leaves us with one spot between Pant and Karthik. While Pant offers the dynamism of a left-hander, Karthik provides firepower at the end. The management has the tough task of choosing one between the two wicket-keepers.
