IND vs PAK | The all-important and one of the most awaited cricketing events, the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup is almost here and the subcontinent teams are busy preparing for it. Ahead of the T20I World Cup which is scheduled to be played in Australia later this year, the tournament can give the Asian teams enough game plans and enough chances to put their plans for the World Cup.
The Asia Cup which will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this year is scheduled to start on August 27, 2022. There is a huge buzz around the tournament and the event in focus is none other than the Indo-Pak clash that will be played on August 28, 2022. Both India and Pakistan are busy playing bilateral series ahead of this marquee clash and it is expected that both these teams will have a go at each other with more intent, especially after the events that unfolded in the 2021 ICC T20I World Cup.
There is an air of speculation around former India skipper and top-order batsman Virat Kohli who has been struggling to get his dominant form back. Needless to say that Kohli is an important batter for the team and his return to form will give India a great boost and will improve its chances to win both tournaments.
Yasir Shah backs Virat
Virat Kohli against Wet Indies in 2019
Ahead of the marquee clash, Pakistan spinner Yasir Shah has asked the men in green to take Kohli and his bad run lightly and has added that it will be a huge mistake if Pakistan underestimates Kohli and his capability to turn tides in his team's favor. The leg spinner further added that Kohli is a class player and can return to his old form anytime, he is an international player and he does not need to prove his prowess with the bat.
The conundrum around Virat's frequent breaks
Virat Kohli against Australia in 2015
Former Indian skipper Virat had a pretty dismal run in his recent outings against England. The situation is so bad right now, that the batsman who used to score centuries for fun at one point in time couldn't even get to the 100-run mark including the Test, ODI, and T20I matches. After that, he opted out of the West Indies and Zimbabwe series and will now make a comeback directly in the Asia Cup.
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Team India squad for Asia Cup:
Rohit Sharma (Capt ), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, R Pant (wk), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Jadeja, R Ashwin, Y Chahal, R Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
