Asia Cup: Will Kohli, Rohit Shine Or Disappoint?

The three-match T20I series in Ireland didn't generate much interest, but it served the purpose as far as the Indian team was concerned.

The Indians were waiting with bated breath to see how Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna would fare in their comeback series, having recovered from long term injuries.

Bumrah was playing for India after nearly a year because of a back injury and subsequent surgery, while Krishna, who had undergone surgery for A lumbar stress fracture earlier this year, last played for the country in August last year.

Bumrah, who captained India in Ireland, got off the mark in smashing fashion with two wickets in his first over in the series opener. He finished with splendid figures of 2/24 as India won the rain-hit match by two runs and followed it up with another magnificent spell of 2/15 in the second game.

Krishna bowled with good speed dispelling all doubts about his fitness, taking 2/32 in the first match. He had the Ireland batters fending off his quick bouncers, to claim 2/29 in the second game.

Their successful comeback is a big boost for the Indians going into the all-important Asia Cup, where they face tough challenges from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Interestingly, batting which has traditionally been India's strength looks a bit shaky going into the Asia Cup.

Senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven't played too many ODIs in the last couple of years, while young Shubman Gill is still finding his feet at the top level.

Of the 36 ODIs played by India since January 2022, Rohit has only featured in only 17, scoring 632 runs at an average of 45, with a century and five fifties.

During the same period Kohli has scored 729 runs in 21 matches at an average of 38, with three centuries and as many fifties.

Gill, after a dream run at the start of the year, got a reality check and struggled for consistency in the West Indies with just two fifties across three one-dayers and five T20 Internationals.

Suryakumar Yadav's ODI record is a big concern and he has been picked for the Asia Cup more in hope that he could reproduce his T20 form in 50 overs cricket. His Mumbai Indians team-mate Tilak Varma has been fast-tracked into the ODI team on the basis of his good showing in the T20 series in the West Indies.

Varma, being a left-hander, offers much-needed variety and is also quite handy with his off-spin, but he will find it difficult to get into the playing XI except for injuries.

Ishan Kishan is another player who might struggle to get some game time. He has made an impact in the few games he played in and has been earmarked the back-up opener.

Not so long ago he looked like the next big thing in Indian cricket when he smashed a brilliant 210 from 169 balls against Bangladesh, but he struggled in the games after that big knock before he brought himself into World Cup contention with three fifties in a row in the West Indies ODIs.

Since making a comeback last year, Hardik Pandya has made limited impact with the bat in ODIs. He has played 14 matches since his return in July last year, scoring 380 runs at an average 34, with three fifties. He struggled to get going on difficult pitches in the first two ODIs in the West Indies, but bounced back with a 52-ball 70 not out in the series decider.

His bowling will also a key component for India in the Asia Cup. Hardik is yet to bowl his full quota of 10 overs in an ODI match since making a comeback last year, but has been effective in short bursts and is likely to shoulder more bowling responsibility starting with the Asia Cup as he continues to improve his fitness and bowling strength.

K L Rahul is yet to regain his fitness and Shreyas Iyer goes into the Asia Cup without any games under his belt after his recovery.

With some batters out of form and others coming back from injuries, the Indian batting doesn't look menacing and the onus will fall on the bowlers to deliver the goods.

India's lead bowlers haven't had too much game time either in the 50 overs format.

While India got a timely boost with the return of Bumrah and Krishna after injuries, it remains to be seen how they cope with the full workload of a 50 overs game in the Asia Cup.

Bumrah looked back to his best during the T20I series in Ireland while Prasidh produced a superb exhibition of fast bowling to dispel doubts about his fitness.

Mohammed Shami comes into the Asia Cup well rested having enjoyed a few months break after the World Test Championship in June. Shami has played sporadically in the 50 overs format since the last World Cup, appearing in 23 matches in which he has claimed 35 wickets. He will have to hit his straps quickly with no practice games scheduled for India before they take on Pakistan in their opening match of the Asia Cup on September 2.

Mohammed Siraj has played regularly for India in the ODIs since February last year, taking 43 wickets in 23 games at an economy rate of 4.62 and is likely to start against Pakistan.

Shardul Thakur has been another regular member of the ODI team in the last year-and-a-half, with 36 wickets in 23 games since January 2022. He did well in the West Indies ODIs, with eight wickets from three matches and is a handy all-round option for the team.

India will be happy with the problem of plenty in the pace department as it will allow them the luxury of rotating their fast bowlers in the Asia Cup.

Kuldeep Yadav has been picked as the sole wrist spinner in the Asia Cup team ahead of the experienced Yuzvendra Chahal courtesy of his consistent run with the ball in white ball cricket.

On his day, Kuldeep is capable of single-handedly running through the opposition batting line-ups. He has been in good form and rhythm going into the Asia Cup, with seven wickets in the West Indies ODIs.

He has been India's lead spinner in white ball cricket for the last couple of years. Since January 2022, he has picked up 34 wickets in 19 one-day matches at an economy rate of 4.91.

Ravindra Jadeja provides the much-needed balance to the team. The left-hander is capable of batting anywhere in the middle and lower order and offers a much-needed variety to the primarily right-handed Indian batting line-up.

He will also play a crucial role as the second spinner. With the ball, Jadeja does his job to perfection of drying up the runs in the middle over but also picks up wickets along the way.

He has played 24 ODIs since the last World Cup, taking 18 wickets at an economy rate of 5.27. He has played only nine ODIs in the last 18 months and India will be looking to get him as many games as possible before the World Cup.

Axar Patel is a like-for-like replacement for Jadeja and might only be required in case of injury to the latter. He doesn't feature much in the ODI team, having played just 52 games since making his debut in 2014, but India prefer the left-arm spinner over Chahal for his ability to score quickly down the order.

Also, with the top order batters not contributing a few overs with the ball, India have been forced to include all-rounders over specialist bowlers.

How India fare in the Asia Cup could go a long way in determining their fate at the World Cup. A couple of tough encounters against Pakistan in Sri Lanka will be a good test of India's preparations and set the wheel rolling for the World Cup.

• Asia Cup 2023