Asia Cup Preview: India Seek Bowling Balance In Must-win Game vs Sri Lanka

India would need to get the best out of their thin bowling resources and avoid too much experimentation when they clash with Sri Lanka in their must win Super 4 game in the Asia Cup on Tuesday. In the absence of injured Ravindra Jadeja, Harshal Patel and Jasprit Bumrah, India do not have a lot of options to play with in the bowling department. India went in with five bowling options against Pakistan on Sunday and it did not work out in their favour as Bhuvneshwar Kumar had a rare off day.

After a match-winning effort in the opening game against Pakistan, Hardik Pandya proved expensive and so was Yuzvendra Chahal, who has not at been his best in the tournament.

The five-bowler theory also makes Hardik's four overs more critical. Axar Patel, who is a like for like replacement for Jadeja, can be brought into the playing eleven to lend more balance.

Avesh Khan, who was unwell ahead of the Pakistan clash, can also come back as the third specialist pacer.

While Rahul Dravid stressed that India would be looking to play their best eleven in the lead up to the World Cup, the Rohit Sharma-led side continues to experiment.

With the intense debate over Rishabh Pant versus Dinesh Karthik in the team, the management gave a go to Deepak Hooda at the expense of the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter, who hardly got to bat in the first two games.

The bowling resources may not be enough at the moment but India need to decide quickly on their middle-order.

The biggest positive out of the Pakistan game was the performance of the high-profile top-order. All three- Rohit, K L Rahul and Virat Kohli -- showed a lot of aggression and gave India an electric start.

Kohli's critics can finally rest after his second successive half-century in Asia Cup.