India’s campaign in the Asia Cup 2022 didn’t go as planned as they failed to breach the Super Four round and make a path to the finals. The defending champions lost two consecutive ties in the Super Four round to get knocked out of the tournament.
Though there have been a couple of positives like the resurgence of Virat Kohli, emergence of Arshdeep Singh, etc., there are far more areas for Rohit Sharma & co. to work upon ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Thus, a couple of changes are expected to take place in the Indian XI. Here we predict India’s playing XI for the mega-event which is scheduled to get underway in October:
1) Openers – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul
Rohit Sharma is the leader of the pack and will undoubtedly take on the opening duties. Though there has been a lack of consistency with the bat from his side, there is no question over his quality. He has shown glimpses of what he is capable of in the last few innings, and hopefully will head into the tournament with better form in his side.
KL Rahul has been the subject of criticism in the last few weeks as the opener has failed to deliver up to the mark. But one needs to understand that he was making a return after a long injury. Thus, it takes a bit of time for anyone to get back into the groove. Once in the rhyme, there are very few who can match his ability and the chances of him opening the innings alongside the Indian skipper are high enough.
2) Middle-order – Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant
The Asia Cup 2022 started with a doubt over Virat Kohli’s position in the side but ended with a dissolve of all doubts as the veteran batter scored the most runs in the tournament, including a century. This tournament would put an end to the much-anticipated debate over his role in the XI.
Suryakumar Yadav is the bridge that connects that top-order to the lower-order and he is a vital cog of the side. He has done excellently well in his very short international career. His ability to take on bowlers right from the beginning and play long innings as well, is an asset for the Men in Blue. There’s no doubt that he will take the flight to Australia for the mega-event.
A debatable name that comes on the list is Rishabh Pant as he has failed miserably to cement his position in the side. It’s fair to say that he has got enough chances but couldn’t grab the opportunities in the best manner possible. With the injury of Ravindra Jadeja, it is quite possible that Pant will be given the go-ahead in the XI as he is a left-handed batter and can play the role to release pressure in the middle-orders.
3) All-rounders – Hardik Pandya and Deepak Hooda
Hardik Pandya is arguably the best all-rounder the Indian team has at the moment. He has also been in good touch in recent games and will have a crucial role to play if the Men in Blue wants to lift the T20 title. His ability to finish games with the bat and take wickets with the ball will be a very handful for captain Rohit Sharma.
The injury of Ravindra Jadeja has opened up a slot in the side as the Indian team will require an all-rounder to fulfill as much as possible. Although Axar Patel is a like-to-like replacement, the management looked to Deepak Hooda for the role in the Asia Cup 2022. This indicates that the management wants Hooda to take up the new role as they want someone who has better batting ability than the bowling.
4) Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh/Harshal Patel
Yuzvendra Chahal is likely to be the prime spinner in the side, who might pair with Hooda as and when required. Chahal has done well in recent years for India and the Rohit Sharma-led side won’t dare to make the same mistake as Virat Kohli & co. in the last edition of the T20 World Cup.
Though Bhuvneshwar Kumar faced criticism for not doing enough in the death over against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, there is no doubt over his quality when it comes to opening the innings with the ball. He has the ability to swing both ways and can be a deadly weapon on Australian pitches.
Jasprit Bumrah will make his way to the XI whenever he is declared fit to play as he has been arguably India’s best bowler across the formats in recent years. Bumrah’s absence did hurt the Men in Blue towards the business end of the tournament as he is an absolute match-winner with the ball in his hand.
Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel will be in the toss-up for the third seamer in the side. In Harshal Patel’s absence, Arshdeep grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he did manage to impress many. However, it would be hard for the Men in Blue to overlook the experience Harshal holds and his incredible ability to bowl effectively in death overs.
