XtraTime Web Desk: Regular India skipper Virat Kohli’s absence might be a blow for the organizers but that can be overhaul by the three possible matches between the arch-rivals India & Pakistan in the six-nation Asian Cup which is set to start from tomorrow with the inaugural match between Bangladesh & Sri Lanka.
There will be two guaranteed India-Pakistan contest in the group stage and at the Super Four stage and the fans can hope for a dream final on September 28 between two sides.
For the Indian team management, it will be a chance to see how the team performs in pressure situations without the run machine Virat Kohli as the selectors have given him rest after a long England tour where India lost the recently concluded five-match test series 1-4.
In the absence of Kohli the Men in Blue will start its campaign on September 18 against Hong Kong and on the next day they will face arch-rivals Pakistan.
While Rohit Sharma has been a brilliant white ball player, his leadership skills haven’t been tested against a quality side.
He led against Sri Lanka last December but it was a below par opposition. In fact, Bangladesh, with its resources, is a better 50-over side currently.
But the focal point would be how India play a quality Pakistan side that has world-class fast bowlers in Mohammed Amir, Hasan Ali, a prolific opener in Fakhar Zaman and talented batsmen such as Babar Azam and Harris Sohail.
India’s main aim would be to settle their middle-order combination and also find a perfect batting position for Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the course of the tournament.
Bangladesh – the dark horse
The Asia Cup has been a tournament where Bangladesh has done well over the years. During the last edition at home in the Twenty20 format, it reached the finals.
In 2012, it played the finals in the 50-over format.
The side under Mashrafe Mortaza has the wherewithal to compete in the 50-over format with a good bowling line-up for slower decks like the ones that will be on offer in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The batting comprises a mercurial Tamim Iqbal and the seasoned Mahmudullah Riyadh. Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan are fantastic on their days and the team would remain a dark horse in the tournament.
Malinga advantage for Islanders
Sri Lanka is one team that India have been pitted against the most in the last 24 months across formats. The team’s transition phase is taking too long and internal issues like administration of the Board and pay disputes have plagued them for quite a while now.
However, it has a lot of experience in Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera and Lasith Malinga with youngsters such as Akila Dananjaya, Dasun Shanaka and Kasun Rajitha.
Sri Lanka’s problem has been consistency and it will hope to do course correction.
For Afghanistan, it will be a tournament to show that there is more to the side than a global T20 superstar in Rashid Khan. With the likes of Mohammed Shahzad in the line-up, the Afghans will be hoping to create an upset or two.
Last but not the least is Hong Kong, led by a player of Indian origin Anshuman Rath.
It is a team of semi-professional players, who migrated to the country in search of greener pastures. Their main aim would be to remain competitive as their matches have now been accorded ODI status.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Dinesh Karthik, Khaleel Ahmed.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain and wk), Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Harris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammed Amir, Shoaib Malik, Junaid Khan, Usman Khan, Shaheen Afridi.
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Litton Kumar Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah Riyadh, Mominul Haque, Ariful Haque, Mohammed Mithun, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mosaddek Hossain, Nazmul Islam, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Abu Hider Rony.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (captain), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Kasun Rajitha, Akila Dananjaya, Amila Aponso, Lasith Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilruwan Perera, Shehan Jayasuriya.
Afghanistan: Ashgar Afghan (captain), Mohammed Shahzad, Ihsanullah Janat, Hasmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Munir Ahmed, Javed Ahmadi, Mohammed Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadan Naib, Samiullah Shenwari, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, Aftab Alam, Yasmin Ahmedzai, Sayed Shirzad.
Hong Kong: Anshuman Rath (captain), Aizaz Khan, Babar Hayat, Cameron McAulson, Christopher Carter, Ehsan Khan, Ehsan Nawaz, Arshad Mohammed, Kinchit Shah, Nadeem Ahmed, Raag Kapur, Scott McKehnie, Tanvir Ahmed, Tanvir Afzal, Waqas Khan, Aftab Hussain.