India starts their Asia cup journey with the game against Pakistan. There is a lot riding on this game as Indian fans are still hurting from their loss in the T20 World Cup 2021. The tournament will be a precursor to the upcoming T20 World Cup.
It is expected to be a closely contested series with the arch-rivals priming to clinch the trophy. But India especially looks in red hot form at this moment. They start as strong favourites to lift the cup for a record eighth time.
We look at 3 reasons why India are outright favourites for the Asia Cup:
#3 Interesting mix of bowling options
India will miss two of their premier pace bowling options in Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel. But they have plenty of bowling resources to choose from. Experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack. The ever-promising Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan will partner with Kumar.
India’s spin bowling department is mighty impressive. Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja will form a four-pronged spin-attack. It will be difficult for the opponents to get going if the bowlers’ fire in unison.
#2 All-round options aplenty
India was done in big time in the last World Cup owing to the lack of solid all-round options. But this time the squad wears a completely different look. India boasts of quality all-rounders this time around. Hardik Pandya’s resurgence has lifted the side. Ravindra Jadeja too continues to evolve in this format.
Axar Patel is more than just an able backup for Jadeja. Deepak Hooda’s rise has been meteoric. His off-spin abilities add a different dimension to the squad. Deepak Chahar’s inclusion as standby shows how much depth India has in this department.
#1 The positive intent
India had to clearly rejig their plans after the disastrous exit in the last T20 World Cup. They have since then gone from strength to strength in the format. India’s top-order over-dependence earlier led to them playing cautious cricket. But they have moved away from that style of play quite spectacularly.
Wickets in hand or not, India keeps going hard across all phases of the game. They have under-achieved on occasions but on most occasions have scored the extra important runs. This approach has liberated the entire batting unit to play fearlessly. India’s newfound freedom might help them tower over other subcontinental teams in the Asia Cup.
