5 issues India need to resolve at the Asia Cup
256 days; that is the time left for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. With less than a year to go for the mega event, the eyes of each team are firmly on the event. The Asia Cup presents an ideal opportunity for every participating team ahead of the World Cup. A multinational tournament is the perfect setting for a team to know how good they are.
At the moment, along with England, India look like the most settled outfit in the world. In the last two years, India has lost only one series in the 50 over format and made it to the Champions Trophy final last year. However, as the series loss in England in July showed, there are still issues to resolve with time running out.
#5 The dependency on Virat Kohl
India has taken the flight to Dubai without their captain Virat Kohli. The talisman batsman was facing vivid fitness issues and with an important tour to Australia not far away, it only makes sense to protect him as much as possible.
However, this could be a big problem for the Indian batting order. The dependency on the Top three of the Indian ODI team is well documented. When they fire, the team does well. When they don't, India struggle. India winning the first game in England and losing the second and third game symbolize this.
However more than Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan, it is Virat Kohli who team looks upto at more occasions than not. Perhaps, it is his surreal consistency with the bat that makes India so reliant on him or perhaps the inconsistencies of the others. In the 50-over format, Kohli more or less always delivers.
In South Africa, the Indian captain hit three centuries in a historic 5-1 series win. Even in England, where he did not get a century, there were two half-centuries and a 46 in the other game.
The big thing with Kohli is not the runs but when he gets it that sets him apart. The Delhite steps up his game when the team needs it the most. More often than not it's him who takes India out of troubled situations.
On many occasions, it's him who ensures India cross the finishing line. When he does fall early, the team struggles to put on big scores. This Asia Cup is the chance for Indian batsman to take away that perception. Can India still be a force with the bat without the bat? Can someone else take the responsibility in high-pressure situations?