Asia Cup: Can India extend T20I dominance with World Cup looming?

The biggest test of India’s newfound aggressive streak starts on Sunday, August 28 in Dubai when Rohit Sharma’s team meets Pakistan in game two of the 2022 Asia Cup, played for only the second time as a T20I tournament. The last time these two teams met

Before that match, also in the UAE, India had defeated Pakistan in all 12 of their meetings in 50-over and 20-over World Cups, including in the inaugural World T20 final in 2007. But on that fateful evening in Dubai, India were rudely jolted by Shaheen Afridi’s mesmeric left-arm swing before Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan hurried Pakistan to a ten-wicket victory. India then stumbled to a loss to New Zealand in their next game and limped out of the tournament. A wakeup call for India to shake up their T20I cricket, if ever one was needed.

Since the end of their disappointing run at the 2021 T20 World Cup, India are 19-4 in the T20I format. This impressive run of success includes 3-0 home series wins over New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka, a 2-2 scoreline against South Africa (also at home) and series wins over England 2-1 and West Indies 4-1 away. During this period, they have switched on a more aggressive brand of batting in which several batsmen’s strike-rates have shot up. They have experimented with players and player roles, not shying away from opening the innings with Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and even Suryakumar Yadav.

They have tried raw pace in Umran Malik, rewarded the canny left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh for consistent slog-overs bowling in the IPL, stuck with the potential of Avesh Khan and backed Ravi Bishnoi’s whippish variety of wristspin. During the series win over West Indies, only three half-centuries were scored all series and yet India consistently put up winning totals. The depth in Indian cricket has been talked up plenty over the past few years, and now we are seeing it at full tilt in T20Is.

The change in batting approach, which other teams have mastered, is where India have made the most progress. Deepak Hooda, Pant, Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya and even Rohit have played some boundary-fueled innings – Pant and Suryakumar reeled off stunning centuries in Ireland and England, respectively – and there have been a couple cameos from Dinesh Karthik and Axar Patel down the order. All this has been done with an eye on this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, but it is at the Asia Cup that India need to iron out all creases.

Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are injured. KL Rahul, who has not played a single T20I in 2022, is coming off a poor ODI tour of Zimbabwe. Virat Kohli has struggled across formats. Getting the best out of Rahul and Kohli is paramount ahead of the World Cup, and inking in the best two bowlers to replace Bumrah and Harshal is also imperative.

India’s opponents in their opening match, Pakistan, have played just seven T20Is since they exited the World Cup at the semi-finals, and shockingly just one this year. They are without Afridi, who stunned India in the UAE last year, and the batting appears reliant on the pair of Babar and Rizwan. If India can put one past Pakistan on Sunday, it will not be as much about extracting revenge for last year’s defeat as it will be about finding momentum to reach the final and keep checking boxes. India next play Hong Kong on August 31, the team that stunned them with an opening stand of 174 in the previous edition of the Asia Cup in 2018.

 

 

INDIA NEWS

With Rahul back, it is likely that he will return to open alongside Rohit. Kohli can only bat at No 3, which means Hooda might be the unlucky man to miss out. There is also the matter of whether Pant and Karthik both play, because a top three of Rohit, Rahul and Kohli demands big-hitters in the middle order. And if Ravindra Jadeja is a lock-in, then Karthik might struggle to make it. R Ashwin could find another chance at No 8, followed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal.

India likely XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Arshdeep Singh/Avesh Khan, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

PITCH & CONDITIONS

The Dubai Cricket Stadium is host for the majority of games in the Asia Cup. Over the past year, out of the 13 T20Is played in Dubai, 12 have been won by the side chasing. India, however, have fared far better while batting first in this period, as indicated by 12 wins and three losses. Over the years, pace has had a significant role in Dubai and yet the venue has an image of aiding spinners. If we look at the last year, the dew factor has been unmistakable and so the captains who win the toss often opt to bowl.

PREDICTION

If India can get one past Pakistan on Sunday, it will be a big plus because we all know what wins over this opposition mean. India are the form team in T20Is and have the personnel to challenge the best going around today, provided the template under Rohit and Rahul Dravid is extended successfully. The concern is: if the top order of Rohit, Rahul and Kohli gets stuck, will it leave too much on the middle order? This is India’s Asia Cup to lose.