3 pressing concerns for Team India ahead of their Asia Cup 2023 encounter against Nepal
Team India's opening encounter of the Asia Cup 2023 against Pakistan rained out in rather disappointing fashion, but they still had quite a few positive takeaways from the contest.
Ishan Kishan adjusted to a middle-order role and pulled the Men in Blue out of troubled waters, while Hardik Pandya broke an unconvincing run of form with a measured innings against one of his favorite opponents. Shreyas Iyer looked good in the few balls he faced, with India managing to make 266 despite being under the pump at various stages of the contest.
At the same time, however, there are a few questions still to be answered. Although India are still in an excellent position to progress to the Super Four stage from Group A, they will have an eye on ironing out the kinks in their armor on Monday, September 4.
Here are three pressing concerns for Team India ahead of their Asia Cup 2023 match against Nepal.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah will miss out on a good chance to get into 50-over rhythm
Jasprit Bumrah will miss the Asia Cup 2023 encounter against Nepal due to personal reasons and has flown back home. While he has every right to do so, India will be slightly discontent with the fact that the ace spearhead is missing an excellent chance to ease himself back into 50-over rhythm.
Bumrah missed the better part of a year with a persistent back injury. While he looked good against Ireland, playing the ODI format is a different cup of tea altogether. It remains to be seen whether his body holds up well, and facing up against an opposition like Nepal would've helped matters.
Bumrah will be back for India's upcoming Asia Cup fixtures, but those will likely be high-pressure games where he won't have as much freedom. The Men in Blue might be a bit concerned about the manner in which their star fast bowler is being eased back into top-level action.
#2 The threat of rain hangs over the India vs Nepal Asia Cup 2023 contest
The highly anticipated India-Pakistan contest ended in a washout as rain prevented a single ball from being bowled in the second innings. The forecast for the India-Nepal game doesn't look too promising either, with high chances of another no-result.
If that happens, uncontrollable variables like the toss and the weather conditions will become all too important for Rohit Sharma and Co. Their priorities will be to find some game time for the top-order batters and the frontline bowlers, and both might not be possible if the game is heavily affected by rain.
To make matters worse for India, the forecast for the Super Four stage isn't encouraging as well. There are reports that a shift in venue could be on the cards, but viable options are supposedly few and far in between.
#1 Shubman Gill's form at the top of the order is becoming a real concern
Ever since the conclusion of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), where he finished as the leading run-getter, Shubman Gill hasn't been in great batting form.
The opener didn't have a great time in the World Test Championship final as well as the Test series against West Indies. He also hasn't been able to find his bearings in the white-ball formats, where he is usually the epitome of consistency.
Gill scored 7, 34 and 85 in the three ODIs in the Caribbean, and while he was the Player of the Match for his knock in the decider, he wasn't anywhere near his best. His form was abysmal in the T20Is as he racked up four single-digit scores to go with a lone 77 in the fourth game.
More importantly, Gill looked completely out of sorts in the previous game against Pakistan. He barely found the middle of the bat in testing conditions before being cleaned up by Haris Rauf.
Gill has been one of India's most important ODI players ever since his debut and needs to find his feet as the World Cup draws closer. The game against Nepal is an excellent opportunity for the 23-year-old to get back among the runs.