With a spot in the Asia Cup 2023 final sealed, the Indian cricket team take on Bangladesh in an inconsequential match, their last in the Super 4 stage of the tournament. The two finalists have been decided, with Sri Lanka beating Pakistan in a thriller to book their progression. Bangladesh’s fate, on the other hand, has already been sealed, and they are no longer in the race to qualify for the final. The match, hence, offers the Indian team the perfect opportunity to test its bench strength.
In a similar inconsequential match against Afghanistan in the 2018 Asia Cup, Rohit Sharma decided to rest a lot of players including himself. The match saw MS Dhoni playing his last game for India as a skipper. Could a similar decision be on the cards this time too?
With Shreyas Iyer rejoining the Indian team in the nets on the eve of the Bangladesh clash, he is expected to break into the playing XI. The likes of Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, etc. could also be handed chances to showcase their credentials.
The Indian team management does have an eye on the ODI World Cup. The Bangladesh clash offers the team a fine opportunity to look at some of the future stars and those who are making returns from injuries.
Hardik Pandya, being an all-rounder, could be one of the first names to be rested considering his workload. With Tilak Varma also looking to sharpen his bowling skills, he could be tested to fill the void left by Hardik. However, if Hardik is benched, Shardul could be included in the team in order to give the team enough seam bowling options.
Probable XI:Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(wk), Tilak Varma/Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel/Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj/Prasidh Krishna
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