Asia Cup T20 Match 9 Preview: Warm-up ahead of final for India

The India-UAE game would not be of much interest for the fans. Table toppers India have already qualified for the finals while the bottom-placed UAE will hope for a satisfying finish to their winless campaign. India has stamped their authority in the tournament. They are currently unbeaten in the series and will most likely add one more win to their kitty before heading to the final to play hosts Bangladesh. For the UAE team under the motivated leadership of Amjad Javed, the upcoming game would be a good chance to leave a lasting impression.

India:

The UAE game is the perfect opportunity for MS Dhoni to make a couple of shuffles and test the benched players ahead of the World T20. India currently has the perfect XI with them and will try the options just to add more versatility. Ajinkya Rahane deserves another shot for the opener’s role in place of Rohit Sharma. Rahane may have squandered the previous chance he got against Pakistan but cannot be fully blamed as no one found their feet settled against Mohammad Amir’s brilliancy. Pawan Negi and Harbhajan Singh can replace the India’ regular spin pair Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Ashish Nehra, who has now played 9 games on the trot, can also be rested for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Nehra has been in fine touch but has a long history of injuries. Dhoni would definitely want him to stay fresh. So, it would be good to rest him for one game ahead of the final and World T20. Talking about the existing line-up, there is not much to ponder. Virat Kohli has been batting like invincible. Young guns Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have been sensational. Suresh Raina would be rolling up his sleeve to get into the scoring ways after dismal scores in the past three games.

UAE:

UAE came into the main contest unbeaten in the qualifiers but could not replicate those performances against stronger opponents. However, it would be wrong to say that they were an utter disappointment. Skipper Amjad Javed led the team from the front with his all-round performance. They had come close to winning all their fixtures against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Their bowling was very impactful, but it was their batting which let them down. The batsmen must up their standards if they want to earn some respect from their strong opponents who, even though if play with a second string attack, are very tough to get through.

Amjad Javed, with eight wickets has been the best bowler for UAE in the main tournament. Seamer Mohammad Naveed has been brilliant and has 11 wickets in the Asia Cup T20, 4 against the Test playing nations in the main draw. Rohan Mustafa, Mohammad Shahzad and Ahmed Raza have also been impressive. It would be a good learning experience for the bowlers playing against the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and other batting stars of the Indian team.

Probable XI:

India – Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C & Wk), Hardik Pandya, Pawan Negi, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

UAE – Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Kareem, Mohammad Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Usman Mushtaq, Muhammad Usman, Amjad Javed (C), Mohammad Naveed, Sandeep Patil (Wk), Farid Tariq, Ahmed Raza

Pitch & conditions:

The pitch in the opening game raised eye-brows as it wore green tinge all over. However, as the tournament progressed the tracks have eased out. The challenge for every team’s batsmen has the first six overs with the new ball. However, if the powerplay is played out smartly then the batters can have a go at the bowlers.

Stats that matter:

1. Mohammad Naveed has bowled 41 dot balls in the main round of the Asia Cup.

2. Virat Kohli averages 103.66 in T20Is in 2016 – the highest among all batsmen.

3. Mahendra Dhoni has scored 932 runs, and needs 68 more to achieve the 1,000 runs milestone.

4. This fixture would be Yuvraj Singh’s 50 T20I appearances.