Before the team left the Indian subcontinent, India was regarded as one of the strong favorites to win the Asia Cup. However things have not gone as planned as Rohit Sharma's team has been eliminated from the tournament, . Dilip Vengsarkar, a former selector, is unhappy with the Playing XI's various experiments after a performance that was underwhelming.
It would not be wrong to say that the Asia Cup was viewed by the management as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup. The ICC event is set to begin in Australia next month. It is clear from the team alterations that the team has not finalized their roster.
Several teams have revealed their World Cup squads, including Australia and England. India is also expected to announce their squad before or on September 15. However, India's former selector Dilip Vengsarkar believes that it is okay to experiment in bilateral series but not in the Asia Cup.
“Obviously, the team management wants to give all the players a chance as they are trying to find their best XI for next month’s World Cup. But then this event is also very important. The Asia Cup is a very big tournament. Winning matches in a tournament like this is very important for the morale of the team. Also, I think it’s important to have the winning combination,” Vengsarkar told Khaleej Times.
“You can experiment maybe in a bilateral series, but the Asia Cup and the World Cup, these are major tournaments. In these tournaments, you need to win, that’s very important”, he added.
However, it is also important to understand how Ravindra Jadeja's injury ruined India's hopes for the Asia Cup. He is at the core of the team's balance as he possesses a one-of-a-kind capacity to win with or without the bat. His absence forced the squad to look for alternative combinations.
Axar Patel, his substitute, did not play a single match. When Dinesh Karthik is the chosen finisher, it makes no sense to play Deepak Hooda as a pure batting at number seven. Even Ravi Bishnoi's dismissal after a fantastic game was called into question.
Knocked out and wounded, Rohit Sharma & Co would like to finish the campaign on a high with win over Afghanistan. Pakistan edged past Afghanistan with Naseem Shah heroics to knock both Afghanistan & India out of Asia Cup 2022. But that gives Rohit Sharma & Rahul Dravid an opportunity to use the bench and try a different set of combinations before the T20 World Cup.
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