Asia Cup 2022: An analytical dive into team India

image-l72zpsajIndian team: Asia Cup winners 2018


The race to be the best within Asia will begin on the 27th of August. India has already announced their squad for Asia Cup 2022. 

Let us first have a look at Team India’s squad.


India’s Squad for Asia Cup:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan

So, do the defending champions have what it takes to bring the cup back home?


Strengths

1. Strong Batting Core: The Indian team that will board the flight to UAE for the Asia Cup has some of the world’s best players in the shortest format of the game. A peek into their overall T20I will give us a clear idea. 

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2. Presence of utility players: There is the presence of some brilliant all-rounders in the squad. The Indian team will have the flexibility to use multiple players in different roles according to the demand of the situation. 

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This gives us an idea that the Indian all-rounders are more than adequate in both the trades of the game. 


3. Presence of a great crop of spinners: The trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin is both experienced and dynamic at the same time. The presence of young Ravi Bishnoi only adds to the variety. 

image-l72yr5djAnalytics of Indian spinners


Economy rate of Indian Spinner after the 2021 T20I WC 

The economy rate of the Indian spinners (after the 2021 T20I WC) makes it clear that their wise and careful use will reap benefits for the team. 




Weakness: 

1. Lack of Experience in the frontline pace department: India will depart with three frontline pacers for the tournament. Of course, Jasprit Bumrah’s unfortunate injury is a big blow to the team. But of the three players going into the tournament, barring Bhuvneshwar Kumar there is not much international experience. 

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2. Lack of clarity regarding the roles: With KL Rahul and Virat Kohli making their way back into the team, the experimentation with the batting order in the matches ahead of the tournament is rendered null. The apparent chopping and changing of the batting order might create confusion in the players as to what their role is in the team. 

image-l72yx72l Number of batters tried and tested in the lineup 



Batters tried by India at the key positions after the 2021 T20I WC

Opportunities:

1. Hardik Pandya, the multidimensional player: Hardik Pandya has proved himself as a finisher before. But in the recently concluded IPL season, he displayed an added sense of responsibility batting up the order. 

Thus India can use him as a floater according to the demand and situation of a match. Added to his batting position flexibility are his bowling ability and the newfound leadership qualities. 

Hardik Pandya’s batting record in IPL 2022 at top order:

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2. Arshdeep Singh, the death-over specialist: India is bound to miss the skills of Jasprit Bumrah in the death overs. But they might be able to damage control with Arshdeep Singh, who has impressed everybody with his death over exploits in both IPL 2022 and recent international matches. 

Arshdeep Singh Death Over Records:

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Threats:

1. Lack of game time and form of some key players: India’s biggest concern will be the lack of form of their most prolific runs scorer, Virat Kohli. Besides, much like him, key players like KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have missed a lot of international action in the recent past due to various reasons. Rohit Sharma might find his key players undercooked in crunch situations. 

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2. Avesh Khan not finding his rhythm: India has taken a striking decision to drop Mohammad Shami for the tournament. They have instead selected Avesh Khan. But the bowler’s performance in the later phases of an innings makes him the team management’s biggest concern.

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Strongest XI

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Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: Bangladesh's Hasan Mahmud and Mahedi Hasan injured