Testing Asian waters: 7-time champions India to test World Cup preparation at continental tournament

Colombo, August 29

Three possible high-octane India-Pakistan games for the starved fans on both sides of the border along with a final chance for five nations to put their respective houses in order before the World Cup adds context to Asia Cup, which starts in Multan tomorrow.

It is a tournament that has often struggled to find relevance in the midst of mushrooming bilateral contests over the last decade along with waning popularity of ODI cricket but the 2023 edition has occupied a large slice of the mind space of team think tanks.

It is the final stop for five of the six teams, barring Nepal, to find answers for some nagging questions ahead of the global event, starting October 5.

Of course, there are some bilateral and practice matches ahead of the cricket’s big show. But the Asia Cup, to be played in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will give the teams the atmosphere of a multi-nation tournament, closely mirroring that of the World Cup.

India will enter the Asia Cup as record seven-time champions but adding an eighth title might just not feature on top of their bucket list. A title win will certainly be welcomed, but the brain bank consisting of head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma will be eager to see a few pieces fall in place ahead of the World Cup.

KL to miss first two games

KL Rahul has been added conditionally to the India squad and will miss the first two games as per Dravid. While Rahul has shown progress in batting levels after his recuperation from a surgery, his readiness to keep wickets is still under scrutiny as he has sustained a niggle while squatting.

“KL has had a good week with us. He is playing well. He is progressing really well but he will be unavailable for the first two games,” Dravid said. “The NCA will be looking after him for the next few days while we are travelling. We will reassess on the 4th (September). The signs are good,” he added.

In Rahul’s absence, Ishan Kishan is likely to don the wicketkeeper’s gloves. Rahul will be watched closely during the Asia Cup as his presence adds a sense of solidity and flexibility to India’s middle-order.

However, Shreyas Iyer is expected to take the field when India face Pakistan on September 2 at Pallekele. Shreyas had gone through extensive drills at nets and match simulation process at the NCA ahead of his selection to the Asia Cup squad. But the management will be anxious to know how the right-handed batter responds to the rigorousness of a real match situation.

“He has looked good. It’s now about us giving him game time,” Dravid said.

“Hopefully, we can give him that at the Asia Cup and build him up for the World Cup. He has ticked all the boxes in this camp, batted a lot and fielded,” he added.

There will be similar levels of anxiety about Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. The pacers made their return to the India side during the three-match T20I series against Ireland earlier this month after a lengthy injury layoff. They had bowled with intensity as well.

But the demands of ODI cricket are different from T20Is as they will have to bowl 10 overs, besides fielding for 50 overs. — PTI

ODIs bring out my best: Kohli

India’s Virat Kohli has expressed his fondness for the ODI format, saying it has “always brought the best” out of him. Kohli stressed on the technical challenges and the strategic decision-making skills required to excel in the format, along with the adaptability needed throughout the game. “I love playing ODI cricket. I think for me, ODI cricket is probably the one format that tests your game completely. Your technique, composure, patience, playing the situation, and playing differently in different phases of the game,” he said. “So, I think it tests you as a batsman completely, and I feel the ODI cricket has always brought the best out of me because I like to embrace that challenge and play according to the situation to help my team win,” he added. Kohli has an excellent record in the 50-over format, averaging 48 when batting first and 66 when batting second. He has 46 ODI centuries, including a record 26 when batting second.

Pressure on India

The legendary Sunil Gavaskar today acknowledged that the “pressure of expectations” will be high on India in the Asia Cup and World Cup, hoping that there would be no bad days in the knockouts. “I don’t think there’s any other cricket team that is under as much pressure of expectations as the Indian team,” Gavaskar said. “Because every match the team plays, the fans, the followers — not just in India, but across the world — expect and want India to win,” he added. “There will be days when the team will not be able to play up to its potential and let us keep our fingers crossed that these days come at the league stage and not at the knockout stage,” he added.

Groups

• A: India, Pakistan, Nepal
• B: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

Group fixtures

• August 30: Pakistan vs Nepal (Multan)
• August 31: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh (Pallekele)
• September 2: India vs Pakistan (Pallekele)
• September 3: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh (Lahore)
• September 4: India vs Nepal (Pallekele)
• September 5: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka (Lahore)

*All matches at 3pm IST

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