It’s been another disappointing performance from the Indian cricket team in the UAE as Rohit Sharma’s side failed to defend their Asia Cup title. Despite topping their group, team India crashed out of the tournament in the Super 4 stage following narrow defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai while batting first.
With the World Cup just over a month away, India gave opportunities to most players in their squad in the 2022 Asia Cup.
View this post on Instagram
As a batter, Rohit had a superb tournament. The skipper played an incredible knock of 72 against Sri Lanka in tricky conditions and finished with a healthy strike rate of 151. As a captain, on the other hand, Rohit didn’t have the best of performances. Some of his tactical decisions and bowling choices were questionable, and the constant change in selections upset the team’s rhythm heading into the Super 4 stage.
View this post on Instagram
KL Rahul’s poor run of form for team India continued in the 2022 Asia Cup as the opener returned to the T20 set-up following his injury layoff. Although there were some signs of progress as the tournament continued, Rahul struggled with his fluency initially, averaging just 26 at a strike rate of 122 in five innings.
View this post on Instagram
Virat Kohli enjoyed an incredible comeback to the Indian set-up following his extended rest period as the number three scored 276 runs at an average of 92 and a strike rate of nearly 150 in the tournament. Kohli was back to his best in tricky conditions at the Asia Cup in the UAE, scoring two half-centuries and a long-awaited 100 to answer any questions about his selection in India’s best XI at the World Cup.
View this post on Instagram
Suryakumar Yadav maintained his stunning record for team India in the shortest format as the right-hander scored 139 runs at a strike rate of 163 in the tournament, batting with plenty of positive intent and aggression through the middle overs.
View this post on Instagram
Although Rishabh Pant played only three innings in the 2022 Asia Cup, the wicketkeeper batter once again failed to make his mark for India in the shortest format. The left-hander scored just 51 runs in the 41 balls he faced during the tournament and struggled in his role as a finisher, failing to hit a single six.
View this post on Instagram
Hardik Pandya began the 2022 Asia Cup on fire with a man-of-the-match performance against Pakistan in the Group A clash, but the all-rounder did little of note post that. Pandya was particularly poor with the ball in the Super 4 stage, conceding nearly ten runs an over in the two run chases against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
View this post on Instagram
It was an inconsistent Asia Cup 2022 for Arshdeep Singh, who finished with an economy rate of 8.6 and an average of 30 in five matches. Although the left-hander bowled two magnificent last overs against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where he nailed his yorkers, Arshdeep was expensive during the powerplay and middle overs and didn’t find much swing from the UAE surfaces.
View this post on Instagram
Although Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with respectable figures of 11 wickets at an economy of 6.05 in the Asia Cup, those numbers are inflated by his sensational spell of 5 for 4 in four overs against Afghanistan in India’s final match. The seamer was poor at the death in India’s two crunch encounters against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, conceding 19 and 14 runs respectively in the penultimate overs of both chases as he missed his yorkers and strayed in terms of lines and lengths.
View this post on Instagram
Compared to his lofty standards, Yuzvendra Chahal didn’t have the best time at the 2022 Asia Cup. On pitches that assisted the spinners in the UAE, Chahal finished with a below-par economy rate of 7.9 in the tournament. The leg-spinner was often guilty of overpitching the ball and searching for wickets, leading to him leaking easy runs in Dubai.
[Featured Image Credit: Indian Cricket Team]
Shivaan Shah