India entered the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022 as the defending champions. They had won the previous two editions in 2016 and 2018. They started well in the tournament with two back-to-back wins in the Group Stage against Pakistan and Hong Kong respectively. However, their fortunes took a U-Turn in the Super Four stages. In the first two games of the second round against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they lost.
With this, they were eliminated from the final race and had a very minimal chance of qualifying. The Men In Blue needed Afghanistan to beat Pakistan and Sri Lanka to beat India to reach the final. However, the first scenario didn’t go in the favor of the Rohit Sharma-led side. Meanwhile, former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan has claimed that the former champions were very casual during the tournament.
He added that the team had a good balance but the injury to Ravindra Jadeja disturbed the balance of the team.
“On paper, they were the best team to win the Asia Cup. The kind of balance they had was great. But perhaps they took things a little lightly but the main reason for their losses in the Super 4 stage was the injury to Ravindra Jadeja. It really affected the balance of their side,” Asghar said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
India has a good chance in the 20-20 World Cup: Asghar Afghan
On the other hand, the former Afghanistan skipper has urged Indian fans to support their national side. The right-hander maintained that the Indian team isn’t bad but they had a poor tournament. He further said that India has a good chance of doing well in the 20-20 World Cup next month.
“India should support their players and the team. It’s not like they are a bad team just because they didn’t do well (in Asia Cup). These are part and parcel of the game. The World Cup is coming, and India has a very good chance,” Asghar added.
