Asia Cup 2022: Super Four, Match 5 - Predicted India Playing XI vs Afghanistan

The defending champions and tournament favorites, India, were eliminated from the 2022 Asia Cup after Afghanistan's defeat at the hands of Pakistan on Wednesday. Rohit Sharma have got a few headaches pertaining to the team selection with the T20 World Cup in Australia fast approaching.

The seven-time champions will face Afghanistan in their last match of the campaign, which is a potential dead rubber, as both teams have been knocked out of the tournament. The Indian team will be playing for pride after two consecutive damaging defeats against arch-rivals Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who will play the final on Sunday.

Plenty of changes could be expected for the Indian team, with nothing at stake for them in the game against Afghanistan.

Here’s a look at India’s predicted XI against Afghanistan

Openers - Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul

Rohit Sharma headed in the Sri Lanka game with a bit of form after a brisk cameo against Pakistan and continued his prime touch against the islanders. The Indian skipper gave his side a platform with a scintillating knock of 72 runs off 41 deliveries.

Rohit's opening partner, KL Rahul, succumbed to a straightish delivery and was dismissed cheaply once again. The elegant batter has looked sluggish for the most of the tournament, and with the team already out of contention for the finals, Rahul might look to open his shoulders against the Afghani bowlers.

Middle Order - Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, and Dinesh Karthik

Virat Kohli's purple patch lasted for just two games as he was cleaned up for a duck in the crunch game against Sri Lanka. The former Indian skipper was visibly distraught after his failure with the bat and will hope to end the tournament on a high.

A string of poor outings has seen Suryakumar Yadav slump down to no.4 in the ICC T20I rankings. The belligerent batter has had an indifferent Asia Cup and was not able to contribute significantly to the Indian total in the game against Sri Lanka.

Dinesh Karthik had been reduced to the sidelines in favor of Rishabh Pant in the previous two outings. But after the prolonged dismal show from the southpaw in the shortest format of the game, the veteran wicketkeeper-batter will find himself in the reckoning for the game against Afghanistan.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Deepak Hooda

Hardik Pandya started the tournament with a bang after his all-around heroics against Pakistan. But the hard-hitting batter failed to emulate the same form in the following matches and did not live up to the expectations in the game against Sri Lanka. He will be adamant about putting those failures behind him in the upcoming match.

Rohit Sharma insisted on a left-handed batter in the team after the unfortunate injury to star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Pant's failure with the bat will allow Axar Patel to showcase his all-around skills in the match against Afghanistan.

Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Deepak Chahar's moment to shine in the Asia Cup has finally arrived. The star bowler was on the sidelines as he was named as the backup for the players in the squad. But Avesh Khan's injury has allowed Chahar to get a taste of the continental tournament. He makes the team ahead of the veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been ineffective in the last two encounters.

Yuzvendra Chahal almost handed India an unlikely victory in the game against Sri Lanka. It was his spell that wreaked havoc on the Sri Lankan top-order batters to open the floodgates for India. Chahal has proved time and again his importance to this Indian side and will look to build on his previous outing.

The only bright spot of the Indian team in an abysmal 2022 Asia Cup campaign has been the mental fortitude of the young Arshdeep Singh. The 23-year-old pacer has bowled two exemplary final overs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, taking the game deep despite having to defend only 7 runs. The tournament hasn't been easy for him but his character and personality has all the makings of a future star for the Indian team.