Team India is gearing up for the all-important Asia Cup 2022 as the Rohit Sharma-led side will have their sights set on the ultimate Asian title. The marquee tournament will kick off on August 27 but India will start their campaign with a high-octane clash against their arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28.
The defending champions, Men In Blue, will look to continue their dominance with the star-studded side which features the likes of skipper Rohit Sharma, batting juggernaut Virat Kohli, experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar, Spin ace Yuzvendra Chahal and a string of young guns which can pose a threat to any given side. However India will miss the services of their prime speedster Jasprit Bumrah, nevertheless, the Men in Blue, with seven Aisa titles in their kitty will go all guns blazing into the tournament.
The upcoming Asia Cup will also mark the return of batting juggernaut Virat Kohli, who will look to fire at the bigger stage after going through a string on lean patch with the willow.
Meanwhile, let's have a look at india's match schedule, squads, fixtures and everything you need to know:
India's dominance
While India has won a record seven titles, it also has three runner-up finishes and has lost to Sri Lanka in the final on all three occasions. The only time India did not participate in the event was in the 1986 edition, which was won by Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue endured a 15-year title drought - its longest in the history of the tournament - between 1995 and 2010. During this period, Sri Lanka won three titles while Pakistan clinched its maiden title in 2000.
India's squad: India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan. Standby: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar.
Schedule for Asia Cup 2022
27 August: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Group B) in Dubai
28 August: India vs Pakistan (Group A) in Dubai
30 August: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Group B) in Sharjah
31 August: India vs Hong Kong (Group A) in Dubai
1 September: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh (Group B) in Dubai
2 September: Pakistan vs Hong Kong (Group A) in Sharjah
3 September: B1 vs B2 (Super 4) in Sharjah
4 September: A1 vs A2 (Super 4) in Dubai
6 September: A1 vs B1 (Super 4) in Dubai
7 September: A2 vs B2 (Super 4) in Dubai
8 September: A1 vs B2 (Super 4) in Dubai
9 September: B1 vs A2 (Super 4) in Dubai
11 September: 1st Super 4 vs 2nd Super 4 (Final) in Dubai
India's last Asia Cup meetings:
India beat Bangladesh (Dubai, 2018)
India has dominated Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, having lost just the one game in 2012 when the latter made it to the final of the tournament for the first time and eventually losing to Pakistan by two runs in the summit clash. India and Bangladesh have been the finallists in the last two editions of the Asia Cup (2016 and 2018) with the Men in Blue getting the better of the Tigers on both occasions.
India beat Sri Lanka (Mirpur, 2016)
The two most successful sides at the Asia Cup have been at par with each other in the overall head-to-head record. India and Sri Lanka have played each other eight times in the final, with the former holding a 5-3 advantage over the Lankans.
India beat Pakistan (Dubai, 2018)
India has a favourable head-to-head record against archrival Pakistan in the Asia Cup and is on a three-match winning streak against it in the tournament. The last time Pakistan beat India at the continental event was in 2014 in Mirpur.
India vs Afghanistan-Match Tied (Dubai, 2018)
India and Afghanistan have locked horns only two times in the Asia Cup but have been involved in the only tied match in the history of the tournament. The two teams are yet to play each other in a T20I at the Asia Cup.
India beat Hong Kong (Dubai, 2018)
India has played Hong Kong only twice at the Asia Cup with a 10-year gap between the two contests. While India won the first one by a thumping 256 runs in 2008, a decade later the margin was reduced to just 26 runs.
India beat UAE (Mirpur, 2016)
India and UAE have faced off on two occasions at the Asia Cup, once in an ODI in 2004 and in the T20 format in 2016 almost 12 years later.
