India, the seven-time champions, are the obvious favourites to win the Asia Cup 2022 in the United Arab Emirates. The Rohit Sharma-led side is not only replete with star players, but has an ensemble of specialists. (More Cricket News)
The most successful side in the tournament's history are a determined lot to win an eighth continental title, especially after what happened in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
India will, however, miss Jasprit Bumrah. The star pacer has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. In his absence, seasoned Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all-rounder Hardik Pandya will shoulder the pace burden. The squad, overall, is an intimidating one.
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However, in a major blow, head coach Rahul Dravid tested positive for COVID-19 on August 23 and is not be travelling with the team. VVS Laxman has since taken the charge on an interim basis.
India's Asia Cup Record
India won the inaugural edition of the Asia Cup in 1984, but they pulled out of the next edition in Sri Lanka. They won the next three, lost three finals in the next four, then settled for third place a couple of times. They are now the two-time defending champions.
How they fared so far: 1984 - won, 1986 - DNP, 1988 - won, 1990 - won, 1995 - won, 1997 - 2nd, 2000 - 3rd, 2004 - 2nd, 2008 - 2nd, 2010 - won, 2012 - 3rd, 2014 - 3rd, 2016 - won (T20I), 2018 - won.
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Key India Players To Watch Out For
Virat Kohli: For the obvious reason! For Virat Kohli, according to the experts, this tournament holds the key. With 766 runs at an average of 63.83, Kohli sure knows how to dominate Asia Cup.
Rohit Sharma: The captain needs 117 runs to become the only third player to score 1000 runs in Asia Cup. His 883 runs are also 88 behind Sachin Tendulkar's India high at the tournament.
India Squad For Asia Cup 2022
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul (vc), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
India's Asia Cup 2022 Fixtures
India take on arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28 in a Group A match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. On August 31, they meet Hong Kong at the same venue.
How To Watch Asia Cup 2022 In India?
Star Sports Network has the broadcast rights for Asia Cup 2022 in India. Live streaming of Asia Cup 2022 will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
