Five-time champions India have rested regular skipper Virat Kohli as the selection committee led by MSK Prasad announced the Asia Cup squad in Mumbai on Saturday. Rohit Sharma will lead the squad as India continue to prepare for next year’s World Cup in England. Shikhar Dhawan has been named vice-captain while Khaleel Ahmed is the new face in the squad.

Kedar Jadhav makes a comeback into the 16-member squad after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the Indian Premier League. Ambati Rayudu also finds a place in the team. Suresh Raina gets the axe, having earlier replaced Rayudu for the England series, reports hindustantimes.com.

The tournament, starting September 15, features India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and one more team from the qualifiers. India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan and the qualifying team.

The Asia Cup returns to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19 in Dubai. It is expected to be a sellout considering that the two teams last met in the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017.

Squad: Rohit Sharma(C), Shikhar Dhawan (VC), KL Rahul, AT Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Kartik, Kuldip Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumra, Shardul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed.

Asia Cup Schedule:

Group Stage

15 September - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (Dubai)

16 September - Pakistan vs Qualifier (Dubai)

17 September - Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

18 September - India vs Qualifier (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 (Dubai).