5 Indians who might play the Asia XI vs World XI game

The long wait of the cricket universe culminated when Bangladesh Cricket Board announced the schedule for the iconic series between Asia XI and World XI. Although the series will feature only two games, it will gain a lot of traction from the world as this is the first time in a long time the fans will witness a battle between the best XI from Asia and the best XI from the rest of the world.

Since the dates of this series are clashing with the ODI series between India and South Africa, it will be interesting to see if the Indian players take part in this series. However, BCB had requested BCCI to send at least five players to take part in the games which have even got international recognition from ICC.

Hence, the Indian fans should expect 5 Indian players to be a part of this series and here are the likely candidates:

1. Jaydev Unadkat 

Saurashtra’s left-arm fast bowler, Jaydev Unadkat grabbed the headlines after his incredible performance for Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2017 edition of the IPL. The pacer even earned a place in the international team because of his top-class performances with the ball but, he could not play with consistency.

Unadkat’s bowling style became predictable as he soon went out of favour. Since he is unlikely to be a part of the Indian ODI squad for the series against South Africa, he will be available to play in the Asia XI vs World XI. Given that there is always a high demand for left-arm seamers in limited-overs cricket, Unadkat may earn a place in the team.

These matches will also help him warm-up for the 2020 edition of IPL as there will be players from all over the world taking part in this series. Unadkat is likely to be one of India’s representatives.

2. Dinesh Karthik 

The skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders, Dinesh Karthik has unfortunately lost his place in the Indian T20I team because of the emergence of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson and KL Rahul. The glovesman never did anything wrong in the shortest format of the game yet lost his place because of his poor form in ODIs.

Karthik has immense experience of playing T20 cricket having played 288 T20s in his career. The right-handed batsman has amassed over 5,000 runs in those matches which showcase the experience that he possesses. He has slammed 29 fifties in his T20 career with his highest score being 97*.

Talking about his work behind the wickets, Karthik has taken 172 catches and executed 79 stumpings while donning the wicket-keeping gloves. He may play the role of the Asia XI’s second wicket-keeper after Mushfiqur Rahim.

3. Vijay Shankar 

Another player from Tamil Nadu who may don the Asia XI jersey in this series is the fast-bowling all-rounder, Vijay Shankar. The 29-year-old all-rounder represented India in the 2019 World Cup and even scalped a wicket on the first ball of his spell against Pakistan however, an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the tournament.

He has not returned to the team ever since but that does not rule out the fact that Shankar is a match-winner in limited-overs cricket. The southpaw has featured in 90 T20s in his career where he has aggregated 1,356 runs with his highest score being 69. He also has a decent strike rate of 129.14.

With the ball, Shankar has taken 26 wickets in the 48 innings that he has bowled in. His best figures of 3/12 show that he can provide a lot of balance to the Asia XI team which is why he may be one of the top contenders for a spot.

4. Krunal Pandya 

Speaking of all-rounders, the pitches in Bangladesh are known to support the spin bowlers thus, it would be a good decision to pick an Indian spin-bowling all-rounder in the Asia XI squad. Krunal Pandya is the front-runner for this position since he has played a match-winning role for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

Though the 28-year-old from Ahmedabad has not achieved so much success at the international level as his brother, Hardik Pandya, he has great numbers in T20 cricket. Krunal has played 102 T20 matches in his career, scoring 1,338 runs at a strike rate of 138.50 while he has also troubled the batsmen with his left-arm spin.

The Mumbai Indians star has picked up 79 wickets in the 99 innings where he rolled his arm. Having played so much T20 cricket, Pandya will look to make his mark at the global level if he gets a chance to play for Asia XI.

5. Ravichandran Ashwin 

The most deserving player to play in the Asia XI vs World XI series is Ravichandran Ashwin. The rise of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has kept him away from white-ball cricket while Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round talent has not allowed Ashwin to fit into the team as a spin-bowling all-rounder.

He can get a golden opportunity to prove himself as a match-winner in T20s and also stake a claim for a spot in the Indian T20I squad for the T20 World Cup 2020 by playing in the upcoming series. The 33-year-old still has a lot of cricket left in him and his 235 wickets in 232 games reflect the incredible amount of experience that he possesses.

As none of the Asian sides have an offie so good as Ashwin, the all-rounder from Tamil Nadu might make it to the Asia XI squad. Thus, these are the five Indian players who might play for Asia XI. It will be interesting to see which players make the cut to the original team.