Asia Cup 2023: Best combined XI

Virat Kohli & Babar Azam Asia Cup. (Photo Source: ASIF HASSAN/AFP, MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Asia Cup has lived up to its hype in 2023 edition so far, having delivered some incredible action. The competition will be played until September 17 and all teams will look to give their best on the field to carry the coveted trophy home.

India and Pakistan are favourites to win the title, this time while underdogs such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan also have some quality players who could lead them to the title. Amidst the competition, it’s essential to accumulate the best players across all sides and make the strongest XI of the tournament.

Here is the best XI of the Asia Cup 2023

1. Rohit Sharma (c)

Rohit Sharma has done a fabulous job for India in the Asia Cup. He is currently the fifth-leading run-getter in the competition with 756 runs in 22 innings at a strike rate of 84.94, with six half-centuries and a century to his name.

Rohit made his Asia Cup debut against Hong Kong in Karachi in 2008. Since then, he has appeared in all editions of the continental tournament. The fierce opener led India to the record seventh title in 2018. Under his leadership, India played aggressive cricket and did not lose any match in the entire edition and Rohit played an instrumental role with the bat along with his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan. 

He ended up as the second-leading run-getter in the competition, notching up 317 runs with a ton and two of fifties in five matches. This time, he will be expected to showcase his batting and leadership skills to help India regain the trophy.

2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has become a mainstay in the Afghanistan team after breaking into the setup in September 2019. He has appeared in 24 ODIs so far in his career and has amassed 953 runs with five centuries and two fifties. 

The stylish Afghan opener looked confident in 2022 and ended up as the third-most successful batter for his team in the calendar year, with 402 runs in 12 ODIs at a strike rate of 81.04. In the recently concluded three-match ODI series against Pakistan, he exuded confidence with his bat and helped his team to put up a fight in the series.

He scored 174 runs with a century in three ODIs and ended up as the highest run-getter in the series against Pakistan. Gurbaz will be expected to continue his form in the continental tournament so that Afghanistan players can also have their hands on the trophy for the first time.

3. Virat Kohli

In the previous Asia Cup edition played in the T20I (T20 International) format, Virat Kohli ended up as the second-highest run-getter with 276 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 147.59. This time, Kohli will look to continue his excellent form in the continental competition.

Talking about his records in the Asia Cup, the veteran has scored 617 runs with three tons and a half-century in 11 innings. In the 2012 installment of the tournament played in Bangladesh, he looked fabulous with his bat and ended up as the leading run-getter in the competition with 357 runs in three matches at a remarkable strike rate of 102.00.

After regaining his form following the 2022 Asia Cup, Kohli has played some fine knocks for the Indian team. In 2023, he has scored 431 runs in 10 ODI innings at a strike rate of 114.93. The Indian team will strive to utilise Kohli’s experience and skills to get the better of other sides in this marquee event.

4. Babar Azam

Babar Azam is the most experienced player in the current Pakistan squad. The dashing batter has been serving his national side since 2015 in ODI cricket and is the backbone of Pakistan’s batting unit.

In 2018, when Pakistan failed to qualify for the final and ended their campaign in the Super 4 stage, Babar scored only 156 runs in five matches. This time, he will look to make his numbers better in the continental tournament with his exquisite batting style.

The Pakistan skipper has won the ODI Player of the Year award for the last two years consecutively (2021 and 2022). In 2022, Azam scored 679 runs with three hundreds and five fifties in only nine ODI appearances. With these numbers, he will feel confident and look to lead his team from the front in the Super 4 stages.

5. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan is one of the most experienced names in the current Bangladesh side and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has trusted the veteran all-rounder again to captain the team after Tamim Iqbal decided to opt out of the competition.  Shakib, who has been active in international cricket since 2006, has registered plenty of records to his name in his vast career.

Currently, he is the third-most successful batter for Bangladesh, chalking up 7216 with nine centuries and 53 fifties. With the ball, he is the highest wicket-taker, clinching 307 wickets at an economy of 4.43. The 36-year-old is currently holding the top spot in the ICC all-rounder rankings.

In this Asia Cup, the star player’s endeavours will be to justify his role and lead his team to their first title. Appearing in the tournament since 2010, he has racked up 407 runs and 21 wickets in 14 matches. In the absence of Tamim, the Bangladesh fans will want Shakib to step up and power their team all the way.

6. Hardik Pandya

In current times, Hardik Pandya is one of the best all-rounders in white-ball cricket. Noting his efficiency for the side for six years, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed him the vice-captain of the team in limited-over format. Hardik has played 77 ODIs in his career so far and has scored 1666 runs in 58 innings at a stunning strike rate of 112.03. 

With the ball, he has picked up 73 wickets at an economy of 5.59. Considering Pandya’s ample experience, the Indian team will want him to deliver match-winning performances with both bat and ball. In the 2018 Asia Cup played in the ODI format, he went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) along with the team but got ruled out of the tournament due to a lower-back injury.

However, he was a part of India’s 2022 Asia Cup squad but couldn’t perform according to his reputation. This time, he will strive to be impactful in all departments of the game to help India clinch the distinguished trophy after five years.

7. Rashid Khan

Rashid is one of the top-notch spinners in limited-over cricket due to his exceptional bowling talent. The leg-break bowler has done a magnificent job for Afghanistan in his eight-year international career. In February 2022, he became the third-fastest to 150 wickets in the ODI format, reaching there in 80 innings.

In Afghanistan’s 2018 campaign in the Asia Cup, Rashid grabbed 10 wickets in five matches at an economy of 3.72. With these numbers, he ended up as the joint-highest wicket-taker along with Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman and India’s spin stalwart Kuldeep Yadav.

This time again, Rashid is one of the most crucial players in the Afghan side as he will be spearheading the spin-bowling department with his experience and talent. The 24-year-old will get the support of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad as well to bolster the spin-bowling unit of his team.

8. Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi made his ODI debut against Afghanistan in the 2018 Asia Cup. His debut series did not go well as he scalped only four wickets in three matches at an economy of 4.88. However, since that time, a lot has changed as Shaheen is now the leader of Pakistan’s pace attack due to his impeccable talent.

In his five-year ODI career, the speedster has claimed 78 wickets in 40 matches at an economy of 5.42. The 23-year-old exuded confidence in the recently concluded three-match one-day series against Afghanistan. He picked up six wickets in three matches at an economy of 4.14 and concluded the series as the leading wicket-taker.

Playing the group matches of the Asia Cup 2023, Shaheen looked positive with the ball. Against Nepal, he got two wickets while against the arch-rivals India, he took a four-wicket haul. Riding on their excellent fast bowler, Pakistan will look to lift the Asia Cup trophy after 11 years.

9. Sandeep Lamichhane

Sandeep Lamichhane has made an essential contribution with the ball to uplift the standard of the Nepal cricket team. The talented leg spinner is the highest wicket-taker for his national team in ODIs, with 112 wickets in 50 matches at a fine economy of 4.32. This year, Lamichhane is in brilliant form as he has taken 43 wickets in 20 ODIs.

In the ACC Men’s Premier Cup, he grabbed 13 wickets in four innings of five matches and helped his team to qualify for this year’s Asia Cup competition. Nepal made their Asia Cup debut against Pakistan in the opening game of this year’s edition at the Multan Cricket Stadium and created history.

Talking about Lamichhane’s bowling display against the Men in Green, he took the important wicket of Salman Ali Agha and splurged 69 runs in his 10-over spell. In the next game against India, Nepal will want their premier spinner to be impactful with the ball.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah made his comeback in ODI cricket almost after one year. Eyes will be set on India’s premier pacer as his team will be heavily reliant on his bowling exploits to fare well in the competition. Bumrah will look to come heavily on batters in this Asia Cup and make his one-day comeback memorable. 

In his last ODI series against England in 2022, he got eight wickets in two matches and ended up as the leading wicket-taker for India. Playing the first game at the Oval, he wreaked havoc on England’s batter, bagging 6/19 figures in 7.2 overs. For his sensational bowling effort, Bumrah also received the Player of the Match after his team’s one-sided 10-wicket win.

Talking about his recent performance, the India paceman scalped four wickets in the two T20Is against Ireland, at a thrifty economy of 4.87. As a leader of India’s pace-bowling attack, Bumrah will look to be at his best in this series.

11. Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana hit the headlines this year after his mind-boggling Indian Premier League campaign for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The Sri Lanka pacer grabbed 19 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 8.00. Following this performance, he was expected to get his ODI debut from Sri Lanka.

In the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at home, Pathirana made his debut in the first game in Hambantota. However, following that game, Sri Lanka did not include Pathirana in the next two matches in the series due to his poor performance in the maiden game. 

Sri Lanka got a fine start in the Asia Cup 2023 with their comprehensive five-wicket triumph against Bangladesh. Pathirana was the Player of the Match for his extraordinary 4/32 in 7.4 overs. In his fine spell, he dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim to help his team dominate the Bangla side.