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Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar feels that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side have a great chance of winning Asia Cup 2025 and it would be quite a surprise if they end up losing the tournament. This comes after the Men in Blue started their campaign with a bang against UAE and defeated them comprehensively by 9 wickets. There were a massive 93 deliveries left in India's innings when they reached the modest target of 58.
The victory saw India shoot to the top of Group A with two points in the bag alongwith a blistering net run-rate of +10.483. The team definitely look like clear favourites to win the continental tournament for a record ninth time in their history. Nayar firmly stated that something will have to go seriously wrong for Suryakumar & Co. in order for them to not win the coveted trophy.
“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,” Nayar said in a discussion on Sony Sports.
“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,” he added.
India's exceptional display against UAE
Meanwhile, India performed brilliantly in both the batting and bowling department against UAE and secured a thumping over the hosts. After winning the toss and electing to bowl first, the Men in Blue absolutely dominated thanks to Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube's sensational spells. While the former was the star of the show and recorded figures of 4/7, the latter went on to take three wickets while conceding just four runs in his two-over spell.
In reply, the Indian batters did a great job as well and provided the side with a strong start. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill formed a stand of 48 runs which saw the Men in Blue convert the tie into a completely one-sided affair. It only took 4.3 overs for the side to chase down the modest 58-run and inflict a crushing defeat over the hosts.
India's next match in Asia Cup will be against arch-rivals Pakistan and it will be contested at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 14. A victory in this match will most likely be enough for the Men in Blue to qualify for the Super 4 stage.
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