Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Axed, Hardik Pandya Made ODI Captain- India Squad for Asia Cup 2023 Stamped

Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Axed, Hardik Pandya Made ODI Captain- India Squad for Asia Cup 2023 Stamped. Asia Cup 2023 is the next multi-nation tournament for Team India. Asia Cup 2023 will witness a battle between 6 teams. They are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Asia Cup 2023 commences on August 31 and will witness the final on September 17.

Asia Cup 2023 will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Following a hybrid format, the first phase will take place in Pakistan and the second phase will be played in Sri Lanka. Last year, India came up with a humiliating performance in Asia Cup.

Under Rohit Sharma, India could not even reach the final. India was the red-hot favorite to win the tournament. However, after losing two crucial super four games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the men-in-blue were eliminated before the final.

Since a senior team under Rohit Sharma failed to grab the Asia Cup title for Team India in the last edition, there is a chance that BCCI might send a young squad for Asia Cup 2023. In this article, we take a look at Asia Cup 2023 squad if all senior players are rested.

India Squad For Asia Cup 2023 If All Senior Players Are Rested

Openers- Shubman Gill & Yashasvi Jaiswal

For the openers, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi will be the best option. Gill is the star performer for Team India in 2023. With 6245 runs in 9 games at an average of 78.0 in 2023, the right-handed batter is the leading run-getter for India in ODIs this year. He also shattered 3 centuries and 1 fifty.

Yashavi Jaiswal can be another superb option for the opener. He rocked in the T20I format in IPL 2023. Later, he also impressed in the Tests with a century against West Indies in his debut. Hence, Jaiswal has the strength to play in all formats and can be an incredible batter in ODIs too.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Bangladesh Not Happy With Travel During Asia Cup

Middle-Order- Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, Sai Sudharsan

In the middle order, players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, and Sai Sudharsan might be picked. Ruturaj Gaikwad showed superb form in IPL 2023, hitting 590 runs for CSK. Sai Sudharsan was a star batter for Gujarat Titans in the season.

At a stunning average of 51+, Sudharsan smacked 362 runs at a strike rate of 141+. The left-handed batsman also gave a marvelous performance in domestic cricket this year. Deepak Hooda gave a poor show in IPL 2023. However, he has done a decent job in ODIs so far. In 7 innings, he has hit 153 runs at an average of 25.50. He has also picked 3 wickets.

Asia Cup 2023: ‘Comments Don’t Matter’ – Waqar Younis On Sourav Ganguly’s “India Winning One-sided Contest Against Pakistan” Remark

Wicket-Keepers- Sanju Samson & Ishan Kishan

For the wicketkeepers, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan might be picked. Both these players have donned the keeper’s hat in the absence of Rishabh Pant since the start of this year. Ishan Kishan also slammed a double century in an ODI against Bangladesh in December 2022.

Samson has not played any ODI games this year due to injury. However, he was impressive in IPL 2023 and has also made a comeback in India vs West Indies T20I series.

All-Rounders- Hardik Pandya (C), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel

Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel are the three all-rounders who should be part of the India squad in Asia Cup 2023 if all seniors are rest. Since Pandya is the vice-captain of the team, he should be the skipper.

All these three players have shown amazing form in the ODIs. In 8 games, Pandya hit 198 runs and grabbed 9 scalps at an average of 30. Sundar has grabbed 2 wickets and hit 21 runs in 4 games. Patel played 5 ODIs games and scored 63 runs with two unbeaten knocks. He also grabbed 3 wickets.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: ‘Never Cared About Our Players’- Ex-Pakistan Captain Furious Over Asia Cup 2023 Schedule

Spinners- Kuldeep Yadav

If the senior players are rested, Kuldeep Yadav will be a superb option as a spinner. The left-arm spinner has hunted 15 wickets in 8 ODIs games this year at an average of 21.13. He is also the second-highest wicket-taker for the team in 2023.

Pacers- Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Umran Malik

For the pacers, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Umran Malik will be the best choice in Asia Cup 2023 if the senior players are rested. Siraj is the leading wicket-taker for the team with 19 scalps in 8 games this year. Chahar did not play any games this year but executed a superb job in IPL 2023 for his team Chennai Super Kings.

Shardul Thakur has played 4 ODI games this year and grabbed 6 wickets at an average of 22.83. Umran Malik was also impressive in three ODI games he played this year. He hunted 6 wickets in 3 games, bowling at an economy of 7.13.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: ‘Pakistan Can Beat India Anywhere’ – Waqar Younis’ Colossal Claim On India vs Pakistan Rivalry