If was experiencing any nerves ahead of his first captaincy experience in a multi-team event, those were nowhere in evidence at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
The Indian captain was at his jovial best, clearly the cynosure at a press conference involving captains of all eight teams in contention for the T20 Asia Cup.
India’s quest for supremacy
Suryakumar’s India will begin their quest for continental supremacy at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday evening, against home team UAE, in a match pitting the local favourites against the nominated tournament hosts. On the face of it, this is a contest of unequals — India are the World Cup champions and the No. 1 side in the world, UAE are ranked a lowly 15th and are coming off four consecutive defeats, to and Afghanistan, in a tri-series that ended in Sharjah on Sunday.
Muhammad Waseem. Pic/PTI
The T20 format, more than any other, carries the reputation of bridging the gulf in quality between rival teams, but unless Muhammad Waseem’s side has an exceptional evening and India are way off the boil in their first in more than seven months, it’s hard to see an upset unfolding. India know they can’t afford to take anything for granted; they are also aware of the need to hit the ground running while firming up their combination for the matches ahead, including a Sunday showdown at the same venue against Pakistan.
Also in Dubai in February-March, India employed four spinners during their successful 50-over run, but that tournament was played on tired tracks. The surface for Wednesday, in the early part of the season here, had a fair coating of grass and was watered heavily in the afternoon, though with the temperature reading a whopping 43 degrees Celsius, it didn’t take long for the pitch to absorb the moisture.
If India are to field both wrist-spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, alongside left-arm spinning all-rounder Axar Patel, it will have to be at the expense of either Shivam Dube, which will weaken the batting, or , India’s leading T20I wicket-taker. The conditions will dictate the final composition but the XI won’t be decided for Wednesday alone, because India need to find their mojo as a collective before the second stage, assuming that they get there as one of two teams from Group A, which is completed by Oman.
UAE’s Waseem, a threat
UAE lost their only T20I against India in Mirpur more than nine years back, also at the Asia Cup. But they have come a long way since, their confidence bolstered by many of their players engaging in the ILT20, among other leagues. Waseem carries the reputation of being a fierce ball-striker — the right-handed opener boasts an average of 37.94 and a strike-rate of 155.67 in 82 T20Is — while young Alishan Sharafu and the 35-year-old Asif Khan can give the ball a mighty thwack. Whether Jasprit Bumrah and his colleagues will allow them the liberty to open their arms and tee off is another matter altogether. Advantage India, clearly, but they will be eyeing more than just a notch in the win column.