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Shane Watson predicts the winner of the Asia Cup 2022 between India and Pakistan

image-l77vo9hjShane Watson predicts Asia Cup 2022 winner (PC: Twitter)

With Asia Cup 2022 just a couple of days away, the analysts and former cricketers are busy predicting the outcome of the tournament. The latest to join the bandwagon is former Australian skipper Shane Watson. Asia Cup kick starts on August 27 in the United Arab Emirates with the first fixture scheduled between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Watson has backed the Men in Blue to win the T20 extravaganza for the third consecutive time. Notably, India won the Asia Cup in 2016 under the leadership of MS Dhoni, while Rohit Sharma took the team to glory in 2018. It is easy to pick India as the favorite as they are in a red-hot form in the shortest format of the game.

Watson backs India to lift the title

The team is doing exceptionally well under the leadership of Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid. They have won 19 of their last 24 T20I fixtures.

Speaking to ICC, the all-rounder said,

"My predicted winner is India. They're so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions. I've just got a feeling India [will win the tournament]. They've got so much firepower all the way through their batting order, so it's going to be hard to be able to contain them.”

Though Watson hailed India as the favorites he has not ruled Pakistan out of the tournament. Pakistan are a solid side and could give the Blues a run for their money. The Babar Azam-led team was brilliant during the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE.

The all-rounder opens up on the India-Pakistan battle

Pakistan not only qualified for the playoffs but also defeated India for the first time in World Cup history. Watson believes that the victory against their neighbours gave Pakistan a lot if confidence and they can replicate their last year’s exploits.

“Pakistan’s confidence is going to be flying high. India is hard to contain, especially their batting. But Pakistan, and as I've always known playing against them when their confidence is high, they're nearly unstoppable. And their confidence is high now that they know they can beat India in a big tournament."

India will fight a battle with the Men in Green in their opening match of the Asia Cup 2022. The game is scheduled for August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium. Reflected on the much-hyped rivalry, the Australian veteran made a big claim stating that the team winning the game will win the tournament.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: Umer Rashid named assistant to Pakistan's fast-bowling coach