New Zealand's premier fast bowler and T20I skipper, Tim Southee, recently shed light on the impending importance of the Asia Cup 2023 for India, especially with the ODI World Cup just around the corner. Southee, while acknowledging the tight scheduling of T20 tournaments, emphasised that such challenges further underline the value of events like the Asia Cup in enabling teams to strategize and marshal their resources.
The buzz is building around the upcoming Asia Cup, scheduled to commence on August 30. India has recently unveiled its expanded 17-player line-up for the championship. In a notable move, Sanju Samson has been slated as a standby player, mainly due to KL Rahul's persistent injury concerns. Rahul, a top choice as wicketkeeper-batter at the No. 5 position, is grappling with a niggle stemming from a prior injury.
Speaking to the press during the Ceat Cricket Rating Award, Southee highlighted the indispensable role of team cohesion in the run-up to mega events like the World Cup. He championed the Asia Cup as an optimal platform to bolster India's collective gameplay and hone their tactics. "I guess ideally you want to play as much as you can together and to lead into a World Cup. But I think you look at the Asia Cup, and what better place to have your team together around that? I'd imagine that is going to be a big part of the Indian team's preparation at the Asia Cup," Southee remarked.
In addition, Southee lent his backing to the prowess of Indian batsmen in handling the challenges of left-arm pacers. Acknowledging the dynamic skills of bowlers like Trent Boult and Pakistan's sensation, Shaheen Shah Afridi, he said, "I don't know what it is, but it was always handy to have a left-armer - something probably people don't face a lot of." Elaborating on the potent challenge posed by these bowlers, he added, "Those two guys that you mentioned, Shaheen Shah and Trent Boult, are quality bowlers and have caused a lot of players headaches over the years. I'm sure the Indian players - world-class players - will have solid game plans for whoever bowler they come up against."
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