Rohit Sharma-led India face a stiff challenge in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 tournament in the United Arab Emirates. The 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia is getting closer, so the Asia Cup provides an opportunity for Rohit Sharma to step up his team’s preparations, and thereby give the team a clearer picture as to where it is being headed with the global T20 tournament looming.
India won’t have the services of injured Jasprit Bumrah in this tournament and all eyes will be on Virat Kohli. The former skipper was on a break after the England tour and now returns to action as India switch to T20 mode.
Opportunity for Kohli to return to old self
India play Pakistan and Hong Kong in their group matches at the Asia Cup, and that certainly provides a perfect opportunity for Virat Kohli to silence his critics and regain his old self as far as his batting is concerned.
Team India reached Dubai on Wednesday and Kohli was the first to hit the nets on arriving, smashing spinners for big runs even using his backfoot pretty well.
Virat Kohli’s batting practice at the nets.#ViratKohli #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/hFa6mLv62K
— Square Leg (@Cricket_Is_Here) August 25, 2022
UAE is known to produce spin-friendly pitches, and this gives a perfect chance for Kohli, who has recently struggled against spin, to test himself against the spinners in a crucial year for Team India.
Kohli has to forget his far from impressive tour to England earlier in the summer, and two good knocks from the former India skipper should put India in good stead as far as the team’s confidence is concerned.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has time and again backed Kohli to come good, and much recently he had some words of warning for the opposition, hinting at what could come from Kohli.
“He will come back with a calmer mind, because the heat is off. You have been away. Now, what you do will get the tone. He gets a fifty in the very first game, mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament. What’s happened in the past is history. Remember, public memory is very short,” Shastri had said during a recent virtual press conference.
However, Kohli’s game time might be a cause for concern. His appearances since the 2021 T20 World Cup has been sporadic, having just played four T20Is this year and managed just 81 runs off it, at a pretty dismal average of 20.25.
Returning Rahul
The Asia Cup will be equally crucial for KL Rahul. Rahul has not played a T20 since the IPL earlier in the summer owing to injuries, and he like Kohli, would hope for some game time in the middle.
Series win 🇮🇳✅ pic.twitter.com/ctlzMWV4Kp
— K L Rahul (@klrahul) August 22, 2022
Rahul had undergone a sports hernia surgery and was due to return in the West Indies series, but testing positive for COVID-19 further delayed his comeback.
He did make a comeback in the Zimbabwe ODIs, but he could just manage 31 runs across the two ODIs he batted in.
Rahul is very much certain to open with skipper Rohit Sharma, so it will be pivotal that the openers get going early on, even against Pakistan where they will be missing the services of Shaheen Shah Afridi. Interestingly, it was Shaheen who got rid of both the Indian openers back in the T20 World Cup 2021 clash, and with Shaheen absent from the Pakistan squad with injury, that could mean the Indian openers breathe easy and let the bat do all the talking.
Jasprit Bumrah’s absence provides chance for Arshdeep to shine
Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel’s absence means India go into the Asia Cup with just three frontline pacers. The experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead the pace attack that also includes young pacers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan.
Bhuvneshwar shone in the two T20Is against England as well as four T20Is against West Indies, bowling some important death overs while also managing to swing the ball pretty well. In the last eight T20Is he has played, Bhuvneshwar has scalped nine wickets, and in an ever-competitive spot for the pacers, Bhuvneshwar would be looking to impress and cement his place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup.
Arshdeep has also been a positive for India. In just six T20Is, Arshdeep has scalped nine wickets, and his ability to bowl yorkers in the death overs is an added advantage.
Avesh Khan, though he has been inconsistent, will be looking to make a case and trouble the opposition batters. Consistent performances will be crucial for Avesh. Repeated inconsistencies could mean trouble for Avesh, especially with Jasprit Bumrah potential return ahead of the World Cup, and Arshdeep and Deepak Chahar too fighting for a slot.
And not to forget Hardik Pandya, who has seen a positive turn of form since the IPL this year, where he led Gujarat Titans to the title.
Pandya has gone wicketless on a couple of occasions in the last five T20Is, but that would not, in any way, hinder the balance of the team.
Spin-centric India
Just three frontline pacers for India at Asia Cup means India are all but sent to go spin-heavy in UAE. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will lead the spin department, with Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi also in the fray.
Axar Patel has impressed in recent times, especially with the ball, but he only finds a place in the reserves, meaning that he is behind in the pecking order.
The X-factor will be Ravi Bishnoi, who has impressed since his T20I debut against West Indies in February this year. Bishnoi has taken 15 wickets from nine T20Is, that includes 10 wickets from the four T20Is he has last played.
Bishnoi will be eager to cement that place in the T20 World Cup squad in Australia.
India have depth in almost every department going forward, but come the Asia Cup, that could define how the Men in Blue could lineup at the World Cup. Of course, the likes of Bumrah and Harshal will be bound to return and one would hope they return strong when they do, but the Asia Cup will be more important for the likes of big stalwarts like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, who have found going tough in recent times.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/neWXjyY
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