Asia Cup 2023: From Shubman Gill to Suryakumar Yadav, five India players who face make-or-break situation

The upcoming 2023 Asia Cup is an opportunity for India to establish their supremacy in the region, but it also offers invaluable preparation ahead of the ODI World Cup. The Men in Blue will play Pakistan (2 September) and Nepal (4 September) in Pallekele as far as their Asia Cup group games are concerned. And are the favourites to qualify for the final from the Super Four stage. The upcoming matches provide what could be the final opportunity for a few players to potentially seal their spot in the 15-man India squad for the World Cup that starts on 5 October. But, those players will be under pressure to perform exceptionally well or they may have to sacrifice their spot for someone else. Let’s now take a look at five such players from India who will be desperate to come good in the Asia Cup: Shubman Gill Despite topping the yo-yo test with a score of 18.7, Shubman Gill has his task cut out in the Asia Cup. Ever since his productive IPL 2023 season with Gujarat Titans, Gill has looked off-colour for India and has been struggling for consistency.

Shubman Gill has the highest score on the Yo-Yo test. [PTI]

- 18.7 by Gill....!!!! pic.twitter.com/HpIzqLRWGx

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 25, 2023

While his knock of 85 off 92 in the third ODI against West Indies might have taken some pressure away from him, his limited-overs form has been a cause for concern with scores of 3, 7, 6 and 9 in four of the five T20Is against the same opponent. The Asia Cup poses a different challenge altogether, and even though Gill faces minimal risk of being overlooked, he still faces a tough next couple of months. Gill has the responsibility of providing stability and runs in India’s top-order, and should he underperform in the Asia Cup, it would raise questions about his batting position in the XI. In such a case, maybe Ishan Kishan would become an ideal candidate to open with Rohit Sharma, and should this happen, it remains to be seen if Gill gets demoted to the number three batting position. Also read: Top five moments from past editions of Asia Cup Suryakumar Yadav If there is someone who faces a make-or-break situation in the Asia Cup, it’s Suryakumar Yadav. SKY has so far failed to make much of an impact in ODIs, as he usually does for India in the T20Is.

Suryakumar Yadav said "I am hoping that I can crack the ODI format soon, I have been talking with Rahul sir, Rohit, Virat a lot for getting better in ODI". [Star Sports] pic.twitter.com/mvVejsP7jA

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 28, 2023

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The 32-year-old struggled against West Indies on slow pitches, registering scores of 19, 24 and 35. It’s safe to say that SKY has entered the last-chance salon as far as his dreams of making India’s World Cup squad are concerned. Should Suryakumar fail to make much impact in the Asia Cup, the team management could look elsewhere, and eventually he would have to sacrifice his spot. Tilak Varma Tilak Varma only entered the international arena in early August when he made his T20I debut against West Indies. He was a silver lining in what was a difficult series for the Men in Blue under Hardik Pandya, and there have been calls from a section of experts who believe Varma is an ideal candidate for the number four spot in ODIs. To put it in context, Varma scored 173 runs from five T20Is with a half-century against West Indies. But, the only problem is, that he is yet to be tried and tested in ODIs.

🗣️🗣️ I want to do well and I'm pretty confident playing one day cricket.@TilakV9 describes his feelings after getting selected for #AsiaCup2023 👌👌 - By @RajalArora #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/79A85QGcug

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 22, 2023

And with just over a month to go for the World Cup, Tilak may not be a frontrunner for a spot in the showpiece event even if he proves his case. The 20-year-old has a long career ahead of him, but in case he does get an opportunity in the Asia Cup, there will be no turning back for him and he will have to make the most of his opportunities, whatever he gets. For now, Shreyas Iyer remains India’s choice for number four, but it will be interesting to see should Tilak Varma gets a chance. Also read: All you need to know about the Asia Cup KL Rahul KL Rahul’s inclusion in the Asia Cup squad was a rather long-term decision, with the team management keeping the Asia Cup Super Fours and the final in mind. Rahul has recently sustained a niggle which the BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar termed as different from the thigh injury he had suffered, and it means that he will miss the first few Asia Cup matches. [caption id=“attachment_12319822” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] KL Rahul last played for India in an ODI against Australia in March. Sportzpics[/caption] Ishan Kishan would come in as the wicketkeeper, but once Rahul returns, it will be paramount that Rahul puts his best foot forward as far as his wicketkeeping is concerned. And that is exactly what former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar believes, saying that Rahul should be in the playing XI only if he plays as a wicketkeeper-batter. “I feel if KL Rahul plays the role of a wicket-keeper batsman, I believe then only he should be considered in the playing XI because in that way the team’s balance will be maintained,” said Bangar. Prasidh Krishna Prasidh Krishna may not be a certainty to feature in the India playing XI, come the Asia Cup. He did return to form from a lower-back injury, taking four wickets in the T20I series against Ireland recently, but having returned to the senior India team, it will be a different ball game altogether. With Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah all set to feature in the playing XI, along with a fourth pacer in Shardul Thakur, who can also bat, it looks difficult to see how the team management can fit Prasidh Krishna in the playing XI. Krishna, however, adds depth to the pace bowling attack, and that means despite facing the possibility of being overlooked from the first-choice XI, he remains a viable backup option.