Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad believes the Indian cricket team will start the 2018 Asia Cup tournament as the favourite.

The six-time Asia Cup champion India (including the T20I format) is in the Group A along with arch-rivals Pakistan and the qualifier champions Hong Kong. India will start their 2018 Asia Cup journey on September 18 against Hong Kong and then they will face Pakistan on the very next day.

Prasad believes Rohit Sharma leading Indian cricket team will start as the favourite in this tournament, starting from today. He further added that Pakistan will try to take the advantage of their best experiences in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) conditions.

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In his column for Times of India, Prasad wrote, “The Asia Cup begins on Saturday and the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team, the defending champions, will start favourites having won six of the 13 editions. Pakistan, two-time champions, who beat India to the ICC Champions Trophy crown last year, will look to cash in on the ‘home advantage’. In the last few years, they’ve played most of their international cricket in the UAE.”

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Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are going to compete in the Group B of this competition. The tournament is going to start with the game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – both teams have injury problems.

Prasad added, “The two other Asian teams — Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — have had to grapple with injuries in the lead-up to the event. Sri Lanka have just lost a One-day series to South Africa at home, while Bangladesh enter the fray on the back of a series win against West Indies. Player and fitness management will be key factors for both teams.”

Prasad further went for Afghanistan where he feels batting is the weak link while spinners are the crucial parts of the team.

Prasad wrote on that, “Afghanistan, who are clubbed with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Group B, will be making their second appearance in the tournament after 2014. Their biggest takeaway from their previous appearance is a win against Bangladesh. Since then, as a cricketing nation, they have made rapid strides which includes attaining their Test status. While batting remains their weak link, the spinners will surely be a handful.”

Talking about Hong Kong, Prasad claimed that they have a good mixture of pacers and spinners but batting needs to be improved.

Prasad added, “Having flexed their muscles in the qualifying tournament, Hong Kong, who will make their third appearance in the event, having featured in the 2004 and 2008 editions, will be eager to cause a few upsets. While they have a good mix of spinners and pacers, batting will be an area where they will have to up their game, especially against quality bowling units from India and Pakistan.”