Calling India the overwhelming favourites led by Suryakumar Yadav might be an understatement, considering the significant gap between them and the other seven nations, including the unpredictable Pakistan,
as the Asia Cup T20 tournament kicks off on Tuesday.
The tournament will commence with Afghanistan facing Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi, but the spotlight will be on Dubai, where India’s star-studded team aims to dominate the United Arab Emirates in its opener on Wednesday.
Often seen as a precursor to the T20 World Cup, this year’s Asia Cup carries a sense of inevitability.
The Indian team shoulders immense expectations, not just due to its pedigree but also because the balance of power has decisively tilted in its favour.
Despite internal debates and external expectations, India appears to be the one team with a clear sense of purpose. In high-pressure tournaments, such clarity often outweighs raw talent.
Considering leadership and sheer depth of talent, this is India’s tournament to lose.
Such confidence led the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir to opt for a 15-member squad, as in ICC events, despite the Asian Cricket Council allowing 17. This decision excluded players like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Winning the continental title for the ninth time (seven in ODI format and once in T20 format in 2016) might not earn extra credit for Suryakumar or head coach Gambhir. However, failing to secure the trophy would invite heavy criticism, especially with the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in four and a half months.
Suryakumar and his team have about 20 games (if they reach the Asia Cup final) to get the core combination right before the global event starts.
India’s cricketing power is such that the BCCI could field three national T20 teams of equal strength.
Suryakumar has been an outstanding skipper with an 80 per cent win record. The leadership group now includes vice-captain Shubman Gill, who is expected to succeed the Mumbaikar eventually.
The alignment and coordination between the T20 skipper and the Test skipper will be closely observed.
The reinvention of T20 batting by Indian batsmen, largely due to IPL exposure, has proven difficult for teams like Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who were on par until a decade and a half ago, to match.
Who can stop India?
The main narrative of the Asia Cup is less about who can win it and more about who can stop India. Their depth overshadows Pakistan’s transitional phase and Sri Lanka’s rebuilt side. Salman Ali Agha’s Pakistan team appears young and fresh.
Dropping Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan signifies PCB’s admission that reputations cannot hold a team hostage. Their success will largely depend on how Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali bowl against India’s flamboyant batting line-up.
Pakistan might feel confident after defeating Afghanistan by 75 runs in a low-scoring final of a tri-nation series where their spinners dominated on a slow Sharjah track.
Sri Lanka, under Charith Asalanka, is also competitive, but their consistency over six to seven games in a tournament is questionable. Bangladesh, despite being unpredictable in the shortest format, lacks the firepower to maintain a challenge throughout the tournament.
In Group B, Bangladesh is likely the second team to be eliminated, alongside Hong Kong.
This leaves Afghanistan as a realistic contender, with spinners like the exceptional Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, and newcomer A Ghazanfar expected to stifle opposition during the middle overs. Additionally, their batting order has never been stronger.
The ‘Minnows’
As Oman deputy head coach Sulakshan Kulkarni mentioned in an interview with PTI, the associate nations would look at matches against India and Pakistan as opportunities to showcase their skills to a larger audience.
In India’s group, there will be 12 NRIs competing against them — six from the UAE and another six from Oman.
For the UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, this tournament is a chance to demonstrate the progress they have made in recent years, with better infrastructure and higher quality of expats from India and Pakistan representing them.
Bowling to a player like Suryakumar or facing a bowler like Jasprit Bumrah is a rare experience for these teams.
At present, the Asia Cup T20 underscores one undeniable truth: it is India’s tournament to lose.
(With PTI Inputs)
