India’s 16-member squad for the Asia Cup 2018 has been announced. The team will be led by Rohit Sharma, who will captain the side in the absence of Virat Kohli. Shikhar Dhawan has been named vice-captain for the tournament that starts on 15th September in UAE.
Manish Pandey, who hasn’t played an ODI for India since December 2017 has been rewarded for his tremendous show during the recently concluded Quadrangular A series, racking up 306 runs without being dismissed even once. He hit a hundred and two fifties in the tournament, captaining the India B side to the title.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik are the two frontline wicketkeepers in the side. Ambati Rayudu, who had failed a fitness test earlier this year, returns to the squad, having last played an ODI for India in 2016.
The side also includes Khaleel Ahmed, the Rajasthan-born uncapped pacer who played the U-19 World Cup 2016 and was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2018.
The spin department includes Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, whose last ODI for India came against New Zealand in 2017.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who had been recovering from back injury and gave the ongoing Test series in England a miss, has been included in the side, although speedster Umesh Yadav could not find a place in the squad.
Here’s the full Indian squad for Asia Cup 2018:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed.
