The ongoing Asia Cup has thrown up an unprecedented bonanza for organizers, broadcasters and fans with the possibility of arch rivals India and Pakistan playing each other thrice in the tournament!
Apart from their opening match in the league phase, the two teams play on Sunday in the Super 4 Stage, and if things go according to billing, they meet again in the final.
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This makes for an exciting scenario, but there are many ifs and buts involved for the script to play out perfectly. The Super 4 stage also features Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, both with impressive wins to their credit in the first week.
In the league phase, both India and Pakistan had to just beat minnows Hong Kong to move ahead in the tournament. The road from here gets daunting.
While Sri Lanka is the `senior’ team where international experience is concerned, the bigger threat to India and Pakistan comes from Afghanistan who were quite brilliant in the league phase, bumping off Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with disdain.
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Afghanistan’s rise as a cricketing nation makes for one of the more fascinating stories this millennium. And not just in sport. Ravaged by war for more than two decades and with no cricketing tradition or legacy to boast of, how the Afghans have used cricket to make a mark internationally is a remarkable metaphor for human resilience, ambition, ingenuity and skill-learning.
They’ve played at the international level for less then a decade, but their learning curve has been steeply upward, and progress has been rapid even if largely restricted to T20 cricket. In this format, they are not a team that can be taken lightly, as highlighted by their swift and emphatic demolition of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka last week.
Three things have assisted Afghanistan enormously in this Asia Cup campaign so far. One, as minnows, they’ve played without fear, carrying no burden of expectation which teams unlike India and Pakistan, and even Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In fact, the Afghans dazzled with their flai, aggression and bravado
But that’s not the only factor in Afghanistan’s strong performances so far. The players have shown considerable ability too. Spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rehman are world class and have carved a niche for themselves in the T20 universe, whether in international matches or sundry leagues across the world They’ve shown themselves to be amazingly skilful and are in great demand because of their matchwinning prowess.
Rashid Khan, particularly, is a superstar in this format. Most experts reckon he would be equally effective in other formats too if Afghanistan got more playing opportunities. Rashid, Mujeeb and all-rounder Mohamed Nabi, who bowls off-spin, have consistently demonstrated ability to get the better of the best batsmen and win matches for their team.
Afghanistan’s batting may not be as distinguished, but the top and middle order batsmen have gumption, flair and physical strength too, to ake apart opposing bowlers. All in all, a team that can’t be taken lightly.
Sri Lanka, the other team in the last 4, can’t be sniffed at either. In the recent past, the Lankans have played with zeal and gusto in all formats, and beaten the best in the game. The country’s eco-political turmoil appears to have galvanized the players to give off their best, as balm to their anguished countrymen, and the team has come up with some terrific performances, not the least the edge-of-seat win over Bangladesh a few days back which won them a place in the Super 4.
In players like Wanindu Hasaranga and Rajapaksa Sri Lanka have T20 match-winners whatever the conditions or situatTo ensure a place in the knock-outs, India and Pakistan are counting to beat Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. But this will not be a cakewalk.
In this context, the winner of Sunday’s clash stands to benefit enormously.
In their first match, India got the better of Pakistan in a tight finish thanks to the sterling effort of all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja who bailed the team out of a dire crisis.
But a lot has changed since then.
Ravindra Jadeja, got injured and is out of the tournament. Axar Patel is a like for like replacement, but lacking the experience – if not some ability too – than his senior teammate, which could ease the pressure somewhat on Pakistan on Sunday, as well as Afghanistan and Sri Lanka subsequently.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s top order, which bombed badly against India in the league match, bounced back superbly against Hong Kong. Babar Azam, having failed against India, flopped against Hong Kong too. But that is not much solace for India as openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have also failed in both matches so far.
Kohli has some useful runs under his belt, but hasn’t looked like he is back to his best yet. Also, Pakistan’s bowling attack has looked more rounded with fast bowlers and spinners among the wickets.
Hardik Pandya with a sterling all-round performance in the first match, and Surya Yadav’s sensational, innovative knock against Hong Kong helped India win two matches on the trot. It always gets tougher as the tournament progresses. India will need contributions from more players to not just beat Pakistan on Sunday, but win the title.
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