Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson reckons that Team India can be termed as favorites to win the Asia Cup 2022, which is scheduled to be commencing on August 27, Saturday. He said that India has a strong team and they are capable of adapting to any condition. India’s Asia Cup campaign will begin on Sunday as they clash against Pakistan in Dubai.
Shane Watson feels that the clash between India and Pakistan is going to be special as he reckons that the men in green would have the belief that they can beat the men in blue. He also opined that whoever wins this fixture would go on to win the tournament. The last time the two teams locked horns with each other in the 2021 T20 World Cup, which the Men in Green won by 10 wickets.
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During a chat on ICC Review, Shane Watson said, “My predicted winner is India. They’re so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions. That first game is going to be very special to watch because Pakistan has full belief now that they can beat this Indian team.”
He further added, “I think, really, whoever wins that game is going to go on and win the Asia Cup. [But] 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.”
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India is in Group A along with Hong Kong and Pakistan. Group B, on the other hand, comprises of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. This will be the 15th edition of the Asia Cup, and only the second time in the tournament’s history after 2016, the T20 format will be used for the matches.
The final of the much-awaited tournament will be played in Dubai on September 11. India, as they did in 2018, goes into the competition as the defending champions. They have won it seven times overall, Sri Lanka has won it five times and Pakistan has won it two times.
