India will kick off the Asia Cup campaign against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Stadium on September 10. India are clubbed with UAE, Pakistan, and Oman in Group A, and will face the arch-rivals in the second game on September 14. But the initial focus will be the UAE clash, which could be an intriguing contest for India as the UAE in those conditions can put up a stern challenge.
All 15 members of the squad have done well for the side; thus, choosing the first XI won’t be easy. The focus will be on picking a balanced XI that suits the conditions.
With a possibility of three clashes, and a total of seven games in the tournament, provided India reach the final, likely, Jasprit Bumrah won’t play all games, and the UAE encounter could be one of them. India could go in with a spin-heavy attack comprising Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel. Arshdeep Singh should be the lone specialist pacer, with Hardik Pandya also chipping in with a few overs.
No Place For Sanju Samson In Asia Cup Playing XI
Sanju Samson could lose his opening slot and even a place in the XI, despite a terrific run in the Kerala Cricket League. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma should open the innings. Sharma could have been left out for Samson, but given that he can also bowl a couple of overs, he will most likely be preferred over Samson. The Kerala batter will fight for the keeper role, but Jitesh Sharma should pip him, given that he is more suited to batting lower down the order.
Tilak Varma should bat at three, followed by Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh. The combination would give India tremendous batting depth and at least six bowling options.
India’s Likely Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav