(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
T Natarajan, the speedy left-arm bowler from India, is buzzing with excitement about the country’s chances in the Asia Cup. He believes the young and dynamic Indian team, captained by Suryakumar Yadav, will dominate and grab the trophy this year.
Fans and cricket legends are calling the T20 World Cup winners as the top favorites to storm through the tournament. With the Asia Cup acting as a perfect warm-up for next year’s big World Cup showdown, Natarajan feels India will sail to victory. “The current Indian squad is full of energy and youth. I’m confident they’ll win the Asia Cup and lift the title,” he told reporters.
Even before the matches kicked off, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag backed his team big time. In a video shared by Sony Sports Network on social media, Sehwag said, “We’re the world champions. We just won the T20 World Cup, and I know we’re the strongest side in the Asia Cup. Hopefully, we’ll take home the trophy.”
India got off to a flying start on Wednesday, smashing UAE by 9 wickets in their opening Asia Cup game. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav stole the show with his left-arm magic, bundling out UAE for just 57 runs—the second-lowest score in tournament history. India chased it down in under 5 overs, setting a strong tone for their campaign.
Next up for India is their fierce rival Pakistan, as both teams eye a spot in the Super 4 stage. Pakistan had a shaky outing against Oman, with openers Saim Ayub and captain Salman Ali Agha getting out for golden ducks right away. They scraped to 160/7 thanks to some late fireworks, but coach Mike Hesson looked worried throughout. Their spinners—Mohammad Nawaz, Sufyan Muqim, and Abrar Ahmed—saved the day, sealing a 93-run win.
Here’s the full India squad for the Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan’s team: Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Muqim.
The India vs Pakistan clash promises fireworks—stay tuned for more Asia Cup updates!
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