India captain Rohit Sharma on Monday admitted that the team's middle-order is still fluid and their objective will be to identify players for the number four and six slot during the Asia Cup.
India will start their Asia Cup campaign against minnows Hong Kong on Tuesday followed by the big game against Pakistan.
However, the problem for India during the past one year is the lack of a settled middle-order, which was evident during the recent ODI series defeat in England.
Rohit made it clear that the likes of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu are fighting for the key middle-order slots.
Rohit's answer was an indication that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will bat at number five.
Ambati Rayudu is back in the Indian team having cleared the YoYo test and he also performed well in the Quadrangular series for India A. Kedar Jadhav is back having recovered from a hamstring surgery.
Rohit didn't reveal whether he was open to rotating bowlers in this searing Dubai heat but did say that performers should be given a longer run.
Mohammed Aamir and Usman Khan in Asia Cup and Mitchell Starc in Australia are some of the left-armers that India will be encountering in their next few assignments and that's why left-arm throwdown specialist Nuwan Seneviratne from Sri Lanka has been roped in.
The skipper seemed impressed having faced him in the nets.
"We saw him in Sri Lanka and we already have two right handed throwdown experts (Raghu and Sanjay Bangar). We will play in Australia and even in Asia Cup, where will face a few left-armers. It is a great move BCCI and is quite accurate with what he does. He is a great addition to our team."
He was all praise for little-known left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed, who has been included in the team more for variation than domestic performance, which has been ordinary at best.
"He is a great addition and has tools to succeed at the highest level," the skipper said.
More than Hong Kong, it is the change in climate that might bother the players, coming from the cooler confines of English weather.
About Hong Kong, the answer was on predictable lines.
"We are treating every opposition equally. We are looking at what we want to do as a team and if we do that a lot of worries and issues will take care of itself. Yes, the conditions are not going to be that easy. But it's game time now and we have to focus on the match," said Rohit.
On a personal note, Rohit is excited as well as nervous as this is the biggest tournament for him as India captain.
(With inputs from PTI)
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