Asia Cup 2023: India's strongest predicted playing XI for the tournament

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Monday, August 21, announced India's 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup in the presence of chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma in New Delhi. The squad met the expectations except for a few. Team India has also announced one reserve player in the form of wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson. 

The announcement didn't have any surprise selection to say. With the rise of Tilak Verma, it was quite evident that his name would be discussed. And interestingly, he made the cut. Besides this inclusion, Sanju Samson finds his name as a backup player as KL Rahul is coming off from a long injury break and has sustained a sore niggle.

The most notable exclusion has to be Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg spinner has been struggling of late in international cricket. And he lacks the batting ability India emphasizes on. Although, it was communicated in the media interaction that the door isn't closed for him yet. But it's highly unlikely to happen, as the BCCI will trim the squad and send 15 players for the mega event. 

1. Rohit Sharma (captain)

Rohit Sharma makes an obvious entry as Team India's opener for the Asia Cup. This time he's leading as the permanent captain in the ODI set-up. Last time in 2018, he led the team to victory as the stand-in skipper. A lot of Team India's performances depend upon Rohit Sharma. 

He's very much responsible to give India a good start with his opening partnership. As the openers are known to set the tone, Rohit knows what the team requires from him. Before the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off, the Hitman would like to get into a good rhythm. 

Rohit Sharma had a monumental World Cup last time with the bat. Although the team didn't qualify for the finals, Rohit's excellence was supreme. This time, he would like to start off his World Cup campaign with a great show in multi-nation Asia Cup.