New Delhi [India] : India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has identified two areas his side must focus on during the upcoming Asia Cup if they are to prosper at this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Asia Cup will start on August 30 and will be hosted jointly by Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with the majority of matches in the island nation. ICC Cricket World Cup will be hosted by India from October 5.
The India top-order looks set in stone – with skipper Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli likely to occupy the top three spots in the batting order – but Karthik is concerned about the middle order and just who fits in best to hold the crucial position as the fourth seamer.
Karthik thinks India should use their Asia Cup campaign to make sure they have these important positions nailed down prior to the start of the 50-over World Cup on October 5.
“There are two areas (India must identify at the Asia Cup). Number 1. Who is the fourth medium pacer? We have Jasprit (Bumrah), we have (Mohammad) Shami and we have (Mohammad) Siraj. We are sure about all of these three, but who is going to be the fourth?” Karthik said, according to ICC.
“Is it going to be Shardul Thakur? Is it going to be Prasidh Krishna? Mukesh Kumar? Or are you going to go for the pace of Umran Malik?” he asked.
Karthik posed more questions when contemplating players in the middle order.
“Do we need a left-hander? Do we look at Tilak Varma or is it Suryakumar (Yadav)…that option as he plays all the sweeps that are available in the game, makes it hard for spinners and is a very good player of spin as well,” Karthik added.
“So who is the backup batter? That is the next question. These are the two areas for me and I think these are the two big things India must be answering during this Asia Cup,” he concluded.
India’s Asia Cup campaign commences against arch-rival Pakistan in Kandy on September 2, with their second group match coming two days later against Nepal at the same venue.
Nine matches will be held in Sri Lanka, including the final. The Sri Lanka leg will begin with the home side taking on Bangladesh at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on August 31.
The tournament will follow a hybrid model, with four matches to be hosted by Pakistan and all of India’s matches and a total of nine fixtures taking place in the Emerald Isle, Sri Lanka.
India is in Group A, which also has Pakistan and Nepal, while Group B comprises Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
The tournament will kick off with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal in Multan, Pakistan. They will be playing their second group stage match at the same venue against Nepal on September 4.
Matches in the Super Four stage will start on September 6, with a clash between the A1 and B2 sides in the respective groups, at Lahore. The rest of the matches will take place in Colombo.
The final will be held in Colombo on September 17.
Sri Lanka is the defending Asia Cup champion, having won the title last year. They have won a total of six titles. India have been the most successful team in the tournament’s history, with a total of seven titles.
