The Asia Cup returns to the true slam-bang Twenty20 avatar after six and half years. For obvious reasons, the tournament is of much significance to the five Asian teams – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan – that will also be part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be played in the Australian summer, from October 16 to November 13. Attention though in the Continental tournament will be riveted on these five teams which will be joined by one of the teams from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuwait that is part of the qualifier competition played in Muscat.
The tournament’s marquee match has always been between the giants and arch-rivals, India and Pakistan. After the opener between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at the Dubai International Stadium next Saturday (August 27), Rohit Sharma’s Team India will take on Babar Azam-led Pakistan on Sunday. The weekend match promises to be a blockbuster with India keen and eager to look for better fortunes at a venue where it was thumped by Pakistan in the league stage of last year’s T20 World Cup, with left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi nonplussing the India openers Rohit and KL Rahul.
Only 17 matches have been played in the T20 format in the Asia Cup and all action took place at Fatullah (4 qualifier matches) and at Mirpur where thirteen matches of the tournament were played. India won all five games against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the UAE before putting it against the home team by eight wickets in the final.
The legion of cricket fans in these parts – in the Indian subcontinent and the Arabian gulf – and also among the diaspora across the world would look to witness high-octane matches between India and Pakistan (assuming that these two teams will advance to the knockout stage).
India will go into the tournament without its spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and seamer Harshal Patel, both laid low by injuries of a nature that the BCCI’s press release was not specific about.
In the last six and half years, from the time he made his T20 debut against Australia in Melbourne, Bumrah has turned out in 58 internationals in the shortest format of the game, taking 69 wickets at 19.46 and at a strike rate of 18.07. Clearly, Rohit would miss his key bowler in the power play and also at the back end of the innings. Bumrah could be seen in action in the home white ball series against Australia and South Africa before the ICC event in the Southern Hemisphere.
Harshal Patel arrived into the India scheme of things only ten months ago and his knack to manipulate the ball after it has lost the shine and has been hit hard, and crucially be among wickets, has made him a contender for a World Cup slot. He has taken 23 wickets at 20.96 and with an impressive strike rate of 14.65. The right-arm seamer suffered a rib-related injury in the recent away T20I series in the West Indies.
In the absence of Bumrah and Patel, skipper Rohit Sharma has to manage his fast and seam bowling resources with the likes of Bhuvneshkumar, rookies Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and also, Hardik Pandya, who has put in the hard yards recovering from a fragile lower back that has rendered him out of action for several months after last year’s World Cup in the UAE.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep has grabbed opportunities with both hands for India, after two successful seasons in the IPL. He has been sort of a find, taking nine wickets in six matches (one against England at the Rose Bowl last month and five against the West Indies), bowling 20.4 overs.
India’s Head Coach Rahul Dravid has shown immense faith in right-hand seamer Avesh Khan. He has played 13 games in the last seven months, making his debut against the West Indies in Kolkata in February. He has been expensive with each of his eleven wickets costing 31.82 runs. His strike rate is 22.00. He has gone wicket-less in six matches. The 25-year-old has to be at the top of his game to deal with the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s top three run-getters in T20 internationals since the beginning of 2017.
The selectors have given Rohit the option of three specialist spinners in the experienced leg spinner Yuzvendtra Chahal, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, and leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who does not have much under his belt in terms of internationals. In addition, Sharma has the option to use Ravindra Jadeja’s full quota of four overs and also Deepak Hooda who bowls off-breaks.
Among the three standbys are left-arm spinner Axar Patel and seamer Deepak Chahar, who has made a good start in his comeback match against Zimbabwe. The team management will not hesitate to field him should an opportunity arise in the UAE. Chahar is now a contender for a World Cup spot as well.
The many-time winner of the Asia Cup (five times in the 50-over format) India has the bowling wherewithal to deal with some of the big run-getters and hitters in the rival ranks. The success of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the power play could show the way for the rest of the bowling attack, seamers, and spinners who would have to bowl in the sweltering heat of the gulf region.
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