Asia Cup 2018: Probable India XI against Hong Kong on September 18

Dubai, Sep 17: Team India, sans Virat Kohli, will begin their Asia Cup campaign under the leadership of Rohit Sharma as they take on minnows Hong Kong in their opening game on Tuesday (September 18).

Men In Blue will be playing an ODI game after a big gap. Team India lost the three-ODI series to England and the boys would be eager to get back to winning ways before getting tough challenges in the tournament from the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

India are the defending champions and strongest contenders for the title, however, Rohit and his boys couldn't afford to take the opponents lightly. The players would look to get into the grooves and add some runs to their name against Hong Kong and register an emphatic win.

With two games in as many days, the team management must be facing a selection conundrum whether to field a strong team or test the bench strength against a weak team.

As Team India face arch-rivals Pakistan on the very next day, it will be interesting to see if Rohit Sharma & Co. go out all guns blazing and start the campaign on a positive note.

Also, the team would be eager to get a settled batting order in the absence of their batting mainstay Virat Kohli who is inarguably the biggest draw in world cricket. In Kohli's absence, it will be interesting to see who does the team management plays at No. 3. Team India will have to settle the No.4 conundrum as well ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019.

There are quite a few names doing the round for No. 3 and No. 4. KL Rahul or Ambati Rayudu, both of whom were in great touch in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, will be asked to bat at Kohli's position while Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, and Dinesh Karthik could be asked to bat at No. 4. Team India will have to settle their middle order woes and lessen their penchant for dependence over Kohli.

Here's what Team India's playing XI might look like against Hong Kong:

1. Rohit Sharma:

The right-handed batsman is known for leading his side from the front. Rohit is often hailed as one of the biggest strikers of the white ball after settling down.

The only batsman to slam three double hundreds in the 50-over format, Rohit will be back into international cricket after a big gap. The Mumbaikar slammed a blistering ton in the first ODI, after notching up a match-winning 137* in the first ODI.

Rohit guided India to lift the Nidahas Trophy earlier this year and earlier last year he led the team beat Sri Lanka in limited-overs' series at home when Kohli was on a break due to his wedding.

2. Shikhar Dhawan:

The left-handed batsman from Delhi had a forgettable tour of England as he failed to touch the 50-run-mark in the ODIs and subsequently in the Test series.

The Delhi-batsman looked completely out of sorts in the ODI series and as a result, India never managed to get off to a decent start in the series.

In three ODIs against England, Dhawan scored 120 runs at an average of 40 and higest score of 40. Reason for Team India's series defeat to England was Dhawan's inability to give them a good start.

However, team management would be hoping Dhawan plays a big knock against Hong Kong and regains his form.

3. KL Rahul:

The right-handed batsman from Karnakata who slammed a century in the innings of the fifth Test against England might be asked to bat at No. 3 in the absence of Kohli.

Rahul slammed a ton in the T20I series against England but warmed up the benches during the ODIs, which the Men In Blue lost.

The stylish batsman, who had a prolific season in the IPL 2018 for Kings XI Punjab, deserves to be in India's ODI set up and Kohli's absence gives him a perfect opportunity to cement his position in the limited-overs side.

4. Ambati Rayudu/Manish Pandey

Ambati Rayudu was picked up for ODI series against England, but the Hyderabadi cricketer was removed from the squad after failing the fitness test. The cricketer, however, was rewarded for a good season and earned his spot back after clearing the 'Yo Yo' test. The 32-year-old right-handed batsman would look to encash the opportunity at hand and cement his position in the side with a couple of good knocks.

Manish Pandey - The Karnataka middle-order batsman missed the ODI limited-overs' series against England due to injury. Manish had a disappointing IPL season for Sunrisers Hyderabad but did well in the quadrangular series involving India A, India B, Australia A and South Africa A. The right-handed batsman, who has been with the team for quite some time, might get preferred over Rayudu.

5. MS Dhoni:

The veteran cricketer is almost indispensable to the squad. Dhoni was the captain when India lifted the Asia Cup trophy in 2016 (which was in T20I format) and being the senior-most player in the side the 37-year-old is 'everybody's go-to man'.

Dhoni's presence in the side would ensure the team doesn't panic in the pressure situation. Dhoni hasn't been in the best of his form with the bat lately. He couldn't do well in the ODI series against England and invited a lot of criticism for his slow batting. The veteran, in the absence of Kohli, would come in to bat at No. 5 and get his mojo back with the bat.

6. Kedar Jadhav/Dinesh Karthik

Kedar Jadhav - The right-handed batsman from Pune would be making his comeback after recovering from injury and missing the IPL and subsequent India tour in England. The right-handed-batsman might get a place in the playing XI at No. 6. He might even get promoted up in the order if skipper Rohit Sharma alters the batting order. However, it will be interesting to see if Jadhav gets a go-ahead immediately or he too has to wait for an opportunity.

Dinesh Karthik - Karthik played just one ODI in England and couldn't do much. The Tamil Nadu, however, failed to leave a mark in the subsequent Test series too. Barring that match-winning knock in the Nidahas Trophy, Karthik hasn't done well. It will be worth noticing if Team India goes with him against Hong Kong.

7. Hardik Pandya:

The Baroda all-rounder, who rose to fame in 2016 after getting doing well in the previous Asia Cup, was a major disappointment in England as he could do much neither in the limited-overs nor in Tests. Pandya however, would get a place in the Asia Cup squad and would aim to regain his form in Dubai.

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

The UP pacer missed the Test series in England due to injury, as a result, Bhuvneshwar was out of action for almost two months and would be rearing to hit the field.

The right-arm pacer would be leading India's pace attack with the new ball. His experience and ability to bowl well in the death would be crucial to India's success in the tournament.

9. Kuldeep Yadav:

The chinaman was India's key bowler in the limited-overs' series against England and almost looked unplayable. The Kanpur wrist-spinner will be crucial to India's success in the tournament as the wrist spinners are ruling the roost with the white ball these days.

10. Yuzvendra Chahal:

Chahal will be the second spinner India will play and hope the Haryana bowler gets into his groove against Hong Kong and gets some match practice before the clash against Pakistan. Chahal and Kuldeep have been crucial to India's limited-overs exploits in the last one year.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

The youngster was one of the positives for India in the Test series against England. Bumrah becomes more dangerous in the limited-overs' setup and it his exploits with the white ball makes him one of the most lethal bowlers to watch out for.