Bumrah sustained a back injury in the latter stages of India’s tour to England. While he was rested for the tour of the Caribbean and Zimbabwe, he failed to regain fitness in time.
Afridi, on the other hand, is currently nursing a knee injury. The left-arm pacer suffered the injury during Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka and is far from achieving full fitness. However, he was still named in the squad for the Netherlands ODIs and the Asia Cup.
Opining that both bowlers are a vital part of the team, RP Singh said in an interaction with journalist Vimal Kumar:
Despite the duo’s absence, talk of the town has been the upcoming clash between the arch-rivals. Media, fans and pundits alike are discussing every possibility as these two sides meet after almost a year.
Admitting that the persistent outside chatter affected the players a little during the buildup to the contest, Singh said:
India hold a 8-5 record over Pakistan when it comes to the Asia Cup. The tournament is being played in the T20 format to help the sides prepare for the 2022 T20 World Cup. India have a dominant 6-2 record in the shortest format against their neighbors.
“Going from the word go is the right template” - RP Singh
India were guilty of playing tentative cricket during the previous T20 World Cup. The approach eventually led to their downfall, as they faced a group stage exit for the first time since 2012.
The biggest overhaul under the Rohit Sharma-Rahul Dravid era apart from personnel, has been the effort to tweak the approach to meet the demands of the modern game.
Noting that cricket has changed a lot over the years, which demanded a change in template, Singh said:
Singh concluded:
The Men In Blue will take on Pakistan in their opening clash of Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, August 28.
Who will win the highly anticipated contest between the two arch rivals? Let us know what you think.
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