Asia Cup 2018: Rohit led India to face Pakistan on September 19

Following their dismal performance against England in the five-match Test series, India will hope to return to winning ways, when they take on Hong Kong in their opening match of the 2018 Asia Cup on September 18.

Apart from the defending champions India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan (all of whom earned automatic qualification) and Hong Kong will be taking part in the limited-overs tournament. It will begin on September 15, with Bangladesh taking on Sri Lanka in the opening match and will end with the final on September 28.

All of the six teams have been divided into two groups, with India, Pakistan and Hong Kong forming Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have been placed in Group B. Top two teams from each group will qualify for Super 4, from which the winners will then play the final on September 28.

Asia Cup 2018:

Group Stage

15 September: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Dubai)

16 September: Pakistan vs Hong Kong (Dubai)

17 September: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

18 September: India vs Hong Kong (Dubai)

19 September: India vs Pakistan (Dubai)

20 September: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Super Four

21 September: Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Dubai)

21 September: Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

23 September: Group A Winner vs Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

23 September: Group B Winner vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

25 September: Group A Winner vs Group B Winner (Dubai)

26 September: Group A Runner-up vs Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Final

28 September: Asia Cup 2018 Final (Dubai)

Regular Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been rested for the tournament and in his absence, Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the captain of the Indian team. Rohit’s opening partner Shikhar Dhawan has been appointed the vice-captain.

Rohit Sharma(C), Shikhar Dhawan (VC), KL Rahul, AT Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed

Source: Hindustan Times