The Indian Cricket Team started their Asia Cup defence on a thumping note. Suryakumar Yadav and Co. thrashed the UAE by nine wickets in Dubai to hit the ground running.
Abhishek Nayar Backs India To Defend Asia Cup Title
The Men In Blue are now scheduled to face archrivals Pakistan on September 14. The defending champions are tipped as one of the favourites for the continental championship, which is also regarded as the stage rehearsal of the upcoming T20 World Cup next year.
Kuldeep Yadav led from the front as he made sure the UAE batters didn’t have a comfortable outing. He took four wickets to rattle their batting lineup while Shivam Dube played his part with a three-wicket haul. The UAE were bowled out for a mere 57 runs, and it took India just 4.3 overs to reach the target courtesy of a fiery Abhishek Sharma innings.
Former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar believes India are in a very good position to defend their Asia Cup title. In an interaction with Sony Sports Network, he said, “I won’t call them contenders, they are coming after becoming champions. The kind of squad they have and the way they are playing in this format, this tournament is for them to lose. If they don’t win this tournament, there is something that’s gone wrong.
“The squad strength we have and the way our spinners bowled in the last match, I will always believe that if you are bowling well, winning the championship becomes easy. So it’s India’s tournament to lose.”
How The Bronco Test Works?
Bronco Test was recently introduced for team India players to determine their fitness. This test is basically used in rugby in order to improve their aerobic and cardiovascular capacity. Four markers are placed at 0m, 20m, 40m, and 60m, and a player has to undergo a complete set of runs covering 240 m in one set. A total of five sets need to be completed without any breaks. Strength and conditioning coach, Adrian Le Roux, brought this tailor-made fitness test to the Indian camp.