The Asia Cup 2022 action begins in less than a week and all eyes will be on the second day when the Indian cricket team takes on Pakistan in their campaign opener. This will also be the first time Team India will face Pakistan since their T20 World Cup debacle against the latter in 2021. This time, however, both teams are missing crucial members of their squad, which could change the outcome drastically, even to India’s favour.

The Indian team will be led by Rohit Sharma, with KL Rahul as his deputy. Virat Kohli has been called back to the squad, despite dwindling form in recent years. Meanwhile, several top performers in recent times like Surya Kumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda and Dinesh Karthik have been included in the Asia Cup. This calls for an in-depth analysis of what the Indian batting lineup might look like against Pakistan, who humiliated them less than a year ago in the T20 World Cup.

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It is safe to assume that as many as nine names in India’s squad have already cemented their positions in the lineup, including four batters and an all-rounder. Captain Rohit Sharma, vice-captain KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya will certainly play crucial roles in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. However, Indian fans could expect some changes in the batting lineup, specifically in the opening and the middle order.

Opening:

Rohit Sharma will certainly open but the question remains, whether KL Rahul will return to his opening spot in the Asia Cup 2022 or not. Rahul was one of India’s undisputed openers in the last year. However, since then, injuries and a COVID-19 infection have limited his playing time in the last year. The 30-year-old has played any T20I matches in the ongoing year, with his last one coming in November 2021 against New Zealand, where he scored 65 runs off 49 balls.

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Several experts lashed out at the BCCI for naming Rahul captain for the ODI series against Zimbabwe, where he scored 1 and 30 in the second and third matches. However, he has been one of the most trustworthy Indian openers in the last decade and should walk right into the squad as Rohit’s partner in the Asia Cup.

Rahul’s prolonged absence in the recent past forced India to experiment with several players in the opening order, including Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer, but none were able to leave a mark in the position, not like the 30-year-old. India’s best right-handed batters have struggled against left-arm finger spinners in T20I, something that was also visible during the T20 World Cup last year against New Zealand and Pakistan.

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Middle order:

Although Virat Kohli’s extended slump is a concern for the Indian fans, he would be the first name that will come up when choosing a batter for the no.3 position. However, the Indian ace has struggled in wider T20 matches, which was also evident in the Indian Premier League (IPL), to hit boundaries against spin attacks in the middle overs. This is one of the criteria of the position, specifically if India is hoping to score big.

The former Indian captain has played four T20I matches in the ongoing year and often struggled to play aggressive shots against spin attacks, especially if the field increased.

If Kohli retains his no.3 spot in Asia Cup 2022, he would be facing the likes of Rashid Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shadab Khan and coming out on top of them would be his priority.

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Deepak Hooda’s rise has been no less than meteoric since his debut, which has derailed Shreyas Iyer’s bid to become a regular in the Indian team. He can face both spin and pace well and this particular ability can help him to feature anywhere in the batting lineup. 

Rishabh Pant’s recent England tour proved that the wicketkeeper is ready for more responsibilities and his performance was rewarded when he was named in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup. However, while Pant has been one of India’s best performers in Tests and ODIs, his apparent struggles in T20I have baffled many. However, he has been handed a silver lining by the selectors for the Asia Cup and will need to make the most of it in UAE. 

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Pant has particularly struggled against spin attacks in T20Is and it has been evident that the team management wanted him to be a spin-hitter in the middle overs. However, the Men in Blue could use him as an opener against teams who are known to use left-arm spinners in the powerplay, like against Pakistan in the Asia Cup. Pant is also the only left-handed batter in the Asia Cup squad, which helps his case to start in any matches.

Dinesh Karthik has been arguably India’s best player against pace attacks in death overs in recent times, however, Kohli and Rahul’s return has put his place in the team in jeopardy. While he had spectacular numbers in the IPL, he has never successfully replicated his IPL form for the national team, which will likely go against his selection. The veteran’s best chance to start is if a middle-order batter is unavailable or out of form.