Asia Cup 2023: India’s predicted XI for the final against Sri Lanka

Team India is all set to face Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final, which will take on Sunday (Sept 18) at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. They topped the Super Four stage by winning two games out of their three fixtures. While they defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Rohit Sharma-led side faced a loss at the hands of Bangladesh.

The Indian side will aim to lift the continental cup to send a loud message for all the teams ahead of the World Cup. A title win will boost their confidence, but a loss will raise multiple questions for the management. They made numerous changes in their previous game, but the star players are likely to walk back into the playing XI.

Here is the predicted XI that India might field to take on the Lankans in the Asia Cup 2023 final:

Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill

Rohit Sharma will be seen leading the side without any doubt and will also take the charge of opening the innings for his side. He started the tournament with two back-to-back fifties, indicating that he is in a correct mindset. However, he was dismissed for a duck against Bangladesh and would like to leave that innings behind.

The right-handed batter will be eyeing to do wonders with the bat against Sri Lanka, apart from taking accurate tactical steps as the skipper of the pack. On the other flip, Shubman Gill will be pairing up with the Indian captain for the opening duties. He has been in a great form and recently scored a fighting hunderd against Bangladesh.

Although he couldn’t take his team over the line, the quality knock will give him a lot of satisfaction and confidence. If the pair of Rohit and Shubman manage to provide a solid start to the team, the coming batters can cash in on the opportunity. It remains to be seen how they respond back after falling like cards the last time they faced the Lankans.

Middle-Order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer/Ishan Kishan

Virat Kohli, who was awarded a rest against Bangladesh, is likely to return and take back his No.3 position. He has been in a great form in the recent times, and his excellent hundred against Pakistan is a proof of that statement. His ability to stabilish the innings and then accelarate at will makes him a deadly weapon.

Coming to the wicketkeeper batsman role, KL Rahul is definitely winning the race against Ishan Kishan for now. He made his international comeback sounding by smashing a century against the arch-rivals Pakistan. He is also keeping the wickets for India, meaning he is the preferred choice by the management.

Another middle-order batsman could be one of Shreyas Iyer or Ishan Kishan. Iyer returned to the presitigious stage only to get injured again. He missed the last two games and there is still no information about his fitness. If he fails to recover in time, Kishan is likely to get the nod ahead of Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to prove his point in the ODI cricket.

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur

Hardik Pandya is a no-brainer pick for the Men in Blue. His presence adds a lot of value to the side, and he is an absolute match-winner. Although his batting form has not been at the level best, he is still contributing well with the ball. It will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma & Co. uses him in the coming stages.

Just like Hardik Pandya, team India is incomplete without the stalwart Ravindra Jadeja. He is someone who can turn the course of the game at any moment and is truly a definition of three-dimensional player. Undoubtedly, he is going to be one of the key players for India. He might also be the only proper left-handed batter in the lineup if Ishan Kishan doesn’t make it into the XI.

Team India brought Axar Patel in place of Shardul Thakur in the Super Four game against Sri Lanka as the Colombo pitch was dry and assisted the spinners. However, Axar has been ruled out of the final and Washington Sundar was named as the replacement. Most probably, Thakur will be locked in as the third-pacer in the line-up.

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Kuldeep Yadav will pair-up with Ravindra Jadeja to form the spin bowling department. He has been in a red-hot form with nine wickets to his name, including a fifer. Once again if India wants to do well, the left-handed spinner has to step up and ask difficult questions to the Lankans’ batters.

Many wondered how Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback would be after serving a long time off the field due to injuries. However, he has shown that he is comepletely fit and bowling sharp spells. Be it with the new ball or the old one at the death, Bumrah is a master of all and his contribution comes second to none.

Mohammed Siraj is going to be the other pacer to line-up with Bumrah in the pace department. He was picked ahead of veteran Mohammed Shami due to his lethal form. Fortunately, the right-handed has stood tall and repaid the faith the management shown to him. He will be eager to trouble the batters on the big night.