India’s seventh Asia Cup title

THE Asia Cup final in Dubai proved to be a thriller, ending in a last-ball win for India over a valiant Bangladesh, who fought like tigers to defend a modest 222. Friday provided a fitting finale to the Asia Cup, which was made doubly exciting due to the fight the so-called ‘minnows’ put up. Afghanistan sparkled through the tournament with their fearless brand of cricket while Hong Kong gave India a terrible scare in their group match. India were the deserving winners of the trophy, for a record seventh time, for they were the dominant team of the tournament, ending without a single defeat. India beat their toughest rivals, Pakistan and Bangladesh, twice each in high-pressure matches.

India had omitted a few key players, including captain Virat Kohli, from the Asia Cup squad after the intense tour of the UK. The stand-in skipper, Rohit Sharma, was in a difficult position — India were expected to win easily, so victory earned him little praise; however, defeat would have put him in the crosshairs of the critics. He did well with a fine 48 in the chase, but questions over his big-match temperament remain — he averages merely 26.6 in ODI tournament finals, with only two half-centuries in 10 innings.

India went to the Asia Cup with the intent of getting clarity about their batting line-up, but the middle-order muddle hasn’t been solved. The middle-order failed to accelerate against Hong Kong, adding only 45 runs in the final 9.2 overs. When put under pressure, the middle-order was below-par in chases against Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It’s clear that the great MS Dhoni is not the finisher he was at the top of his game; Dinesh Karthik is not bringing value to the team as a specialist batsman. Dhoni is 37 and Karthik 33. Ambati Rayudu, 33, also failed in a high stakes match. For the sake of a smooth transition, it’s time for India to look at younger options such as Manish Pandey, Hanuma Vihari and Prithvi Shaw.