Asia Cup 2023, India squad SWOT analysis: Strength obvious but glaring threats as India aim 8th title

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Seven-time champions India have completed their six-day preparatory camp in Alur, Karnataka and are all set to board the flight to Sri Lanka for the Asia Cup 2023 which starts from Wednesday, August 30.

The 17-member side are travelling to the island nation with a few agendas on their mind. The Men in Blue are looking to address some serious questions before the all-important World Cup 2023 which kicks off from October 5.

The time is just right to do a SWOT analysis of the India squad for the Asia Cup 2023. Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid and the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel have done their best to pick the best bunch of players, but is the squad capable enough to lift the trophy in Sri Lanka? Let's have a look.

Strength: Quite Obviously, the Indian top-order emerges as its biggest strength. The likes of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli form a top-three which can send shivers down the spines of the oppositions. Ishan Kishan is set to play in the first two matches in the absence of KL Rahul and the in-form southpaw batting in the top-four, makes Indian top-order the strongest in the competition.

Each of these four batters are averaging over 45 in the ODI format. In fact, Kohli and Gill carry an ODI average in excess of 55. Three out of these four batters have hit double hundreds in the format. Once they get set, there is no stopping India. Kohli and Rohit have got together a combined experience of 519 ODI matches. This experience would be coming very handy on tricky Sri Lanka pitches.

Weakness: The middle-order woes might hit India. Kl Rahul is out of the first two matches. Shreyas Iyer is returning after a long injury layoff. He last played a professional white-ball match in January. Suryakumar Yadav's struggle in ODI cricket is known to all. He is averaging just over 24 and has 541 runs to his name after playing 26 matches. Number 4 and Number 5 batting position can emerge as a weak link for India. Young Tilak Varma has been inducted in the squad after his good show in the West Indies. However, there is a massive difference between a bilateral T20I match against West Indies and a multi-nation tournament against the best teams in Asia.

Opportunity: India's weakness is India's opportunity. Head coach Rahul Dravid has praised Rahul and Iyer and has expressed a lot of confidence after watching them going full-throttle in the Asia Cup preparatory camp. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are vastly talented and experienced batters and time away from the game would only have made them hungry.

They would come back really fresh and hungry to prove themselves. Further, someone like Suryakumar Yadav cannot be kept quiet for long. The batter is aware of his poor run in the format and is trying his best to up the ante on time. The three right-handers will have the opportunity to solve India's biggest worry in the lead up to the World Cup.

Threat: The return of Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krisha has bolstered India's pace attack. Bumrah, Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur form together a formidable pace attack but the same cannot be said about the spin department.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav will get the company of two other left-arm spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Jadeja and Axar are very similar in their skillsets. There is a clear lack of variety in the spin department. If India has missed the trick by not naming an off-spinner or dropping leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, the time will tell. But for moments it looks like, there could be occasions where India fell dearth of variety in the spinners.

India Squad Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Traveling stand-by player: Sanju Samson