3 reasons why India are unlikely to win Asia Cup 2018

After losing against England in an away Test series, India's next major International assignment sees them featuring in the multi-nation Asia Cup that begins on September 15. The tournament is slated to be played in UAE with no team going in as the firm favourites ahead of the tournament.

BCCI recently announced the Indian squad that will feature to defend their title. The major exclusion from the squad saw the Indian skipper Virat Kohli taking the much-needed break after being on the road for such a long period. Rohit Sharma will lead the side in Kohli's absence with Shikhar Dhawan being his deputy.

Though the team is a healthy blend of youth and experience, it will take some efforts to fill in the void left by Kohli at No.3 position in the batting order.

We take a look at 3 reasons why this Indian team can't win the Asia Cup 2018 in UAE:

#3 Unfamiliar Territory in UAE

Image result for indian cricket team in UAE asia cup

The Asia Cup was shifted from India to UAE after the Indian government denied BCCI to host Pakistan in India for the multi-nation tournament. This came in as a blow for the men in blue as they now head to a state of unfamiliarity. Though it is a neutral venue for all the participants but other teams have played cricket in the country more recently than India.

While Pakistan plays all its home games in UAE, it might be a blessing in disguise for the men in green as they will fancy their home advantage. However, for India, it will be a tough task in hand as for the majority of players, it will be an unfamiliar territory in UAE.

India will play their first game on September 18, three days after the inception of the tournament, and that might just give them an opportunity to make themselves acclimatized to the conditions in Dubai.