India are the hot favourites in this Asia Cup. Their recent performances in white-ball cricket bestow that tag on them.
The other traditional big teams in the tournament — Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — have been ordinary of late. So that certainly makes matters easier for Team India.
However, having to take a fresh guard, the Suryakumar Yadav-led team would like not to be complacent when they begin their Asia Cup campaign against home nation UAE at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday. For sure, Surya and his teammates will be looking to start their campaign with a bang, as doing so would keep them in an even stronger mindset going into their next clash against Pakistan on Sunday.
Looking at the recent struggles and inconsistency of the current Pakistan side — even though they haven’t done too badly of late in T20Is — one may blink once before calling India’s UAE game their dress rehearsal against the arch-rivals. Team India cricketers often say that they are unperturbed by outside noise, but the hype surrounding an Indo-Pak clash cannot be ignored altogether.
So, a solid, thumping win for India on Wednesday should also add extra pressure on Pakistan, making the circumstances ideal for Surya and Co.
Against the UAE, if India get their basics right and avoid unforced errors or silly mistakes, they shouldn’t have any problems. That said, India need to address a few things first.
The Dubai pitch, as bowling coach Morne Morkel had said on Monday, has a bit of grass covering. It hasn’t rained for weeks in Dubai, which means the dew factor should be negated. Besides, the amount of grass left on the wicket is only to ensure the surface doesn’t break, given its dry nature.
During the Champions Trophy earlier this year, spinners had a big role to play on the dry wickets. India fielded as many as four spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy — and the strategy worked as they emerged winners.
But, with the grass content, how many spinners will India be looking to include in their XI? Axar, Kuldeep and Chakravarthy, all three playing together, seems unlikely. So, will it be just the unconventional duo of left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep and Chakravarthy? Or, just one spinner in the XI?
If it’s just one spinner, it will be a seriously tough call as to whom the team management should select — Kuldeep or Chakravarthy, who has been a prolific wicket-taker since his international comeback late last year.
If India go in with only one tweaker in their bowling attack, it implies all-rounder Shivam Dube, too, will be in the XI alongside his senior colleague Hardik Pandya in place of Axar. On the other hand, Harshit Rana could be the third specialist quick alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
To talk of Dube, he has spent quite some time at nets with his seam-up deliveries. Morkel, too, has been pushing Dube to bowl more, which means he’s in with a chance to have a fair amount of game time in this Asia Cup.
“For me, it’s always important to see Shivam like a guy who can bowl four overs. I’m always pushing for all-rounders to work hard on both skills. Here in this environment, we want to leave no stone unturned.
“On the day, we’re going to need somebody to do the work for us, and the conditions might favour him more than somebody else,” Morkel said on Monday.
With Shubman Gill back in the T20I team and as vice-captain, India need to figure
out where to slot keeper-batter Sanju Samson. Should he bat in the middle order, or be sent in at No.3, as had been suggested by Sunil Gavaskar?
But then, Jitesh Sharma, too, has fared quite well as a keeper-batter in this year’s IPL in Royal Challengers Bengaluru colours. Are India considering the Jitesh option too?