Asia Cup 2016: Continental appetiser before main course
THE WILLS Little Flower School in Kakrail, Dhaka, had a reputation of rolling out quality cricketers. Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud — that diminutive medium-pacer who felled mighty Pakistan in 1999 — counts as their star product. West End School, not far away in Azimpur, was equally prolific as a breeding ground for future national cricketers. The two schools had been great rivals on the field, spicing up the national school cricket championships in the 80s and ‘90s.
Back then, cricket here had been very much Dhaka-centric. The last decade or so, though, has seen the rise of the districts in Bangladesh. The Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium in Narayanganj district, about 32 kilometres off Dhaka, often is referred to as a significant landmark of this revolution. It has already hosted Test cricket. For the last two days, meanwhile, it has been playing host to the Indian team’s practice sessions ahead of their Asia Cup opener against Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Even though all the matches of the tournament will be played at the more recognizable Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, MS Dhoni & Co have chosen the nondescript Fatullah ground for training because of its location — far away from the hustle and bustle of Dhaka — and its quietude. The area being a cantonment town, though, have led to some unlikely restrictions being imposed. Usually India’s practice sessions in this part of the world witness a decent audience. This time, however, the stands remained empty though not because the passionate Bangladeshi cricket faithful didn’t want to be there but more due to them not being allowed to even stand in front of the stadium entrance to welcome the Indians.
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The Indians didn’t seem too bothered with practicing in front of the empty stands. They have bigger goals in sight. They have arrived here on the back of a stunning run in T20 cricket, having thrashed Australia 3-0 and downed Sri Lanka 2-1 in the space of three weeks. And with the World T20, which they will host just around the corner, the Asia Cup — being played in the shortest format for the first time ever — is the ultimate build-up. That’s not the case just for them, but for all the other four nations in the main draw, including the hosts.
While the Asia Cup has always been competitive, it’s often lacked relevance. It’s been a tournament that comes around once every two years like a neighbourhood get-together, which is held—or so it seems—because you just have to. Not this time though.
Two years ago, India had brought in a largely experimental side for this tournament. Virat Kohli was given the leadership role in a stop-gap arrangement as Dhoni opted to cool his heels. This time India have a full-strength outfit on offer, and that’s just one of the reasons along with the T20 makeover that has lifted the profile of the tournament.
Forget the ICC rankings that confirm India’s supremacy in this format. The other two title contenders, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, are placed at No. 4 and No. 7 respectively. But this is their opportunity to get into the groove prior to a world event. The World T20 would be played in similar conditions, assisting all the teams from the subcontinent, and this will be the perfect opportunity to fine-tune.
India’s fine form this year has been based on their openers providing electric starts, Kohli—who is back after a break in the Sri Lanka series—producing blitzes from No.3, and their bowlers producing the goods. The pace attack looks settled with Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah forging a strong partnership. The spin-bowling is being looked after by the excellent combination of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. India would be happy to retain their winning mojo, while Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be keen to put a spanner in their works
Shahid Afridi and Co had lost the T20 international series in New Zealand 2-1 in January, but the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) has allowed a number of their players to well and truly get into T20 mode. Sri Lanka, too, have their big players back and won’t carry the excess baggage of their series defeat in India. The Asia Cup is going to be very competitive and as Kohli said, it would offer the scope for a fair assessment.
“It’s a great opportunity if we see it as a whole package before the World Cup.” At the same time, he clarified that as a unit they must focus on the bigger picture.
The immediate task for the Indian team would be to see off Bangladesh’s challenge on Wednesday. The 2-1 ODI series loss last year had been a bad experience. A lot has changed since and India are odds-on favourites, notwithstanding the fact that the muscle spasm that Dhoni suffered on his back makes him a doubtful starter. Things didn’t look very encouraging on the match eve but the skipper still has one full day to recover.
The captain didn’t take part in the pre-nets football warm-up. He didn’t bat or bowl either. Parthiv Patel has arrived as a cover and it would be interesting to see where he fits in if his services are required. Patel plays as an opener in the shortest format but here he might not have a chance to bat if the top order gets going. Good news is that Bumrah, who was a bit under the weather yesterday, has returned to full fitness. He might love bowling at a venue where the seamers got plenty of assistance during the recently-concluded Under-19 World Cup.
Bangladesh had conceded a 2-0 lead to share spoils with Zimbabwe last month. Inconsistency had been their bugbear, like it has always has in this format. To make matters worse, opening batsman Tamim Iqbal has taken paternity leave.
