Asia Cup 2022 kicks off today, with the most awaited game India vs Pakistan scheduled for tomorrow. Six teams will be competing to win the title, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting predicted the results of the India-Pakistan game and declared the Blues his favorite to win. Since the clash is between the age-old rivals, a lot of cricketers and experts across the globe are anticipating how the game would turn out to be.
Shane Watson, a well known Australian hitter, also shared his views on who could be a better side between the Blues and the Greens. In the ICC review, Watson picked his overall winner and explained why Virat Kohli is primed to return to his original form as he was before, pondering whether Pakistan can get one over India again.
The Asia Cup would be full of excitement, but cricket fans are seemingly waiting to watch this high-profile clash between the two traditional rivals, India and Pakistan, from all over the world. If you are in the US, here’s how you can watch ‘India vs Pakistan: Asia Cup 2022’ in USA.
According to the former all-rounder, Team India is the favorites to lift the Asia Cup 2022 trophy because of their strength and adaptability to changing conditions.
“My predicted winner is India. They’re so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions,” Watson told Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, but did not completely strike off Pakistan’s chances of winning, saying that Pakistan have confidence in themselves and have the potential to beat Team India.
Upon asking, the former cricketer shared his views on Pakistan being the biggest threat to India’s success in the tournament, and went on to say that whoever wins the Sunday’s India v Pakistan game will go on to win the Asia Cup.
“That first game is going to be very special to watch because Pakistan have full belief now that they can beat this Indian team. I think, really, whoever wins that game is going to go on and win the Asia Cup.”
Watson concluded, “[But] I’ve just got a feeling India [will win the tournament]. They’ve got so much firepower all the way through their batting order, so it’s going to be hard to be able to contain them.”
Do you agree or disagree with Shane Watson? Tell us your opinion!
Recently, Shahid Afridi, a right-handed batsman and former captain of Pakistan also had an online Q&A session on his official Twitter account, sharing his experience and throwing some light on the outcome of the match. While answering a question about the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 match, Shahid Afridi made his prediction in favor of the side that will better be able to channelize the pressure to their advantage.
The Asia Cup’s all-time leaders are Team India. More than any other team in the competition’s history, the men in Blue have won seven championships as yet.
Sri Lankan cricket team has lifted the Asia Cup trophy five times, while Pakistan’s side has lifted the trophy only twice so far.
The T20I is scheduled to begin today, August 27, in the UAE, and there is a lot of excitement among cricket fans. The Asia Cup would be an ideal start for these six teams before the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia, which is around the corner as well.
