Fringe India players eye Asia Cup as ticket to T20 World Cup

Rohit Sharma said a few days ago that 80-90% of the squad is settled. Even though the trend post Covid is to carry 18 players, including three stand-byes, Rohit was probably talking about the final 15 who will be part of the World Cup team. The Indian team has quite a few T20s scheduled in the next couple of months, starting with the Asia Cup, and it’s the perfect platform for the fringe players to make an impression. If there are no last-minute injuries, the certainties for the World Cup are Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvenshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah. That leaves four spots and there are about nine contenders, eight being part of the Asia Cup touring party (including stand-byes). Sanju Samson is not part of the team, but he will come into the discussion later. TOI takes a look at the fringe players who will be looking to make a mark in Asia Cup and stake a claim for the World Cup. TOI looks at fringe players who are eager to make an impact in Asia Cup and make the cut for T20 World Cup.

DEEPAK HOODA: Has come up in leaps and bounds in the last one year. He made some crucial contributions in the series against England and West Indies. He is the quintessential T20 batter, with innovative shots in his repertoire and the ability to come up with the sudden big shot when it matters. Good against spinners; the tracks in UAE may be to his liking. 161.17 - Hooda’s strike rate could be matchwinning in tight situations. R ASHWIN: With Jadeja and Chahal certainties, the battle for the third spinner’s slot will be between Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi. Ashwin’s experience is crucial, and he will definitely do well on UAE tracks,