Will India be tempted to give match-finisher Dinesh Karthik a place in the playing XI? If yes, who is going to make way for him? On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal has picked only one wicket so far across three games. Will India decide to put him on the bench?
India face Sri Lanka in a must-win game at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. A win in the Asia Cup encounter will keep Rohit Sharma and company in contention for a final berth while a loss will more or less knock them out of the competition. In their first game of the Super 4 stage, India lost to Pakistan, while their next opponents Sri Lanka are coming on the back of a four-wicket win over Afghanistan. The match on Tuesday is a big game for Sri Lanka as well as their last match of Super 4 will be against another tough opponent Pakistan.
India will have to deal with the selection dilemma once again as they would not want to take any chance against Sri Lanka. Will they be tempted to give match-finisher Dinesh Karthik a place in the playing XI? If yes, who is going to make way for him? On the other hand, Yuzvendra Chahal has picked only one wicket so far across three games. Will India decide to put him on the bench?
Here is what we think could be India’s playing XI against Sri Lanka:
Rohit Sharma: Big scores have not come from the Indian skipper’s bat in the ongoing Asia Cup but he has looked in sensational form with his stroke play. However, Rohit will be keen to take his innings deep.
KL Rahul: The player had been struggling post his return to competitive cricket after his injury, but the Super 4 match against Pakistan saw him unleashing himself during his 28-run knock-off 20 balls.
Virat Kohli: The former India skipper seems to be finally back in his groove. He has hit back-to-back fifties and the confidence in his shots is clearly visible. Kohli is the leading run-scorer for India in the ongoing Asia Cup with 154 runs to his credit.
Suryakumar Yadav: After a superb outing against Hong Kong, Suryakumar Yadav failed to continue his form against Pakistan but he remains a crucial player for India in the middle order.
Rishabh Pant: The southpaw continues to struggle in his batting with the white ball. More than the runs, it is his shot selection that has seen him receive a lot of criticism. Pant is finding it hard to shape his innings according to the match situation.
Dinesh Karthik: India might be thinking to give Dinesh Karthik a chance as he barely got game time in the ongoing Asia Cup. In the last game, Karthik was dropped from the playing XI.
Hardik Pandya: The all-rounder had a poor outing during the match against Pakistan as he neither performed well with the bat, nor with the ball. However, Hardik is a match-winner and he will look to get back into his red-hot form.
Axar Patel: The left-handed all-rounder could be the perfect replacement for injured Ravindra Jadeja if he performs according to his potential.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The right-arm pacer leaked runs during the match against Pakistan in one of his rare outings. Bhuvneshwar will be eager to take India through in the next game.
Arshdeep Singh: The left-arm pacer will look to leave behind the demons of the Pakistan match and start fresh in the match against Sri Lanka. Besides being good with line and length, Arshdeep Singh’s maturity and composure make him a special player.
Ravi Bishnoi: The leg-spinner got his first game of the ongoing Asia Cup on Sunday and he duly impressed with figures of 1 for 26 in his four overs in a match where the majority of the Indian bowlers went for too many runs.
