Andrew Fidel Fernando
There are a number of self-selected athletes in the current Asian XI. Shakib Al Hasan, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, and Rohit Sharma. Consistent, demonstrated across conditions, and dynamic – you understand. (However, whether that many personalities can fit on the team transport is another matter.)
Charith Asalanka is there due to his 44.54 average and 93.28 strike rate at No. 5, which is a more specialised position in modern ODIs.
Litton Das is favoured over Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Kusal Mendis on account of his greater consistency.
And in a squad comprised primarily of ODI veterans, you required a speedster. This individual is Maheesh Theekshana, who is capable of bowling compact powerplay overs, operating during the middle period, and halting attacks in the death overs. He has 36 wickets in 22 innings at a 4.34 economy rate.
While the majority of his ODI opponents have been on the inferior end of the spectrum, he has also dominated the finest in T20s.
And at the time of writing, Haris Rauf had just taken 5 for 18 against a Sri Lankan batting lineup. Therefore, he is difficult to ignore.
Fidel’s Asia Cup XI: No. 1 Rohit Sharma, No. 2 Litton Das (wicketkeeper), No. 3 Babar Azam, No. Four Virat Kohli The fifth Charith Asalanka, Shakib Al Hasan six Seven Hardik Pandya Eight Rashid Khan (captain), 11 Haris Rauf, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Maheesh Theekshana
President Binny and Vice-President Shukla of the BCCI will visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup
Sidharth Monga
Only individuals nominated for the Asia Cup were taken into account. Shakib Al Hasan and Shreyas Iyer are interchangeable; the middle order is flexible regardless.
My fantasy team, my rules: batters do not play out of position, career and potential outweigh current form, which has only been used as a tiebreaker.
The selected individuals are self-explanatory, so it is more essential to highlight those who narrowly missed out:
- Virat Kohli does not bat in the middle order or at the top, so he loses to Babar Azam at No. 3 based on current form (the criterion);
- Wanindu Hasaranga and Shadab Khan are outstanding legspin all-rounders, but we already have Rashid Khan. My batting allrounders need to provide me with bowling variety, which is why I have chosen Shakib, who bowls left-arm spin, and Hardik, who bowls pace;
- Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Taskin Ahmed are three fast bowlers who challenge Siraj’s position, but Siraj is in excellent form.
Please do not @ me. You couldn’t do it even if you tried.
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Babar Azam, Shakib Al Hasan, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah comprise Sidharth’s Asia Cup XI.
Danyal Rasool
This is arguably not the eleven finest players this continent has to offer, but Asia Cup squads have always been more concerned with having a good time.
This tournament is not for those who prefer frigid, hard calculations and deliberate decisions after sifting through mountains of data and Excel spreadsheets.
This is a squad in which current form surpasses legendary status; thus, Jasprit Bumrah does not complete the attack. The constant chatter about Virat Kohli’s decline temporarily jeopardised his position, but I’d also like to use social media while maintaining my mental health.
In addition, his recent ODI form has been excellent. After the ferocity of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the fluid elegance of Rohit Sharma, and the dependability of Babar Azam, Kohli will have the platform he desires from which to launch.
Shakib Al Hasan is overlooked in favour of Charith Asalanka due to his poor form, though legitimate quality middle-order batters are surprisingly rare to come by these days.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Hardik Pandya offer both a potent batting attack and superior all-round options. Once these superstars have established a score, good luck chasing it down against this bowling lineup.
Oh, and Rashid Khan as captain, as I am hesitant to choose between Babar and Kohli despite the fact that the latter has not commanded India since March 2021.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan (captain), Shaheen Afridi, and Raheem Afridi. Naseem Shah, 11 years old The Haris Rauf
Mohammad Isam
There are numerous candidates for the opening positions, but the prospect of Ishan Kishan and Fakhar Zaman batting together is enticing.
Despite the fact that they are both left-handed, their assault lengths will differ. You ponder what they would say to one another in the middle as you observe them.
The next two batters choose themselves, followed by Charith Asalanka, who has averaged more than 50 after the 30th over over the past two seasons.
Shadab Khan and Rashid Khan contribute all-around batsman depth to an attack that also includes Mohammed Siraj, Taskin Ahmed, and Naseem Shah.
Asia Cup lineup for Isam: 1 Ishan Kishan (wk), 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mohammed Siraj.
