3 Reasons why India might win Asia Cup 2018

India has strengthened their claim for the much coveted Asian title by registering quick victories in succession. Though they looked rusty in the first match and had to struggle for the win, the Men in Blue were in sublime touch against their Asian neighbours. Indian dressing room looked relishing after the triumph over arch-rivals, and this win shall boost the team's confidence.

Earlier there were several prognoses made about the run of defending champions in the tournament. Indian team came to UAE after a series defeat in England without the full-time captain and the man in form- Virat Kohli. Moreover, inexperience in UAE conditions bolstered the arguments made against India's title defence campaign.

Indian team retaliated such arguments with flamboyant play and showed up once again why they are one of the best ODI sides in the world. Cricket Pundits have started speculating about the forecast of Asia Cup, and there are an array of reasons why India might be able to defend its title.

#3. Spin Duo

The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal is the X-factor team India needs to win the Asian title. Kulcha, as they are jointly known as, can pose a real threat to the opponents on the slow and turning pitches of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Since last year Chahal and Kuldeep have formed a deadly pair; it isn't easy for the batsman to pick these two.

Hailing from the small city of Kanpur, Kuldeep is a rare breed of chinaman bowlers in the modern-day cricket. Kuldeep has picked 51 wickets in 23 games so far, with an average of 19.76 and miser economy of 4.56. The most important thing, he provides the breakthrough whenever the team needs him to.

National level chess champion, Chahal is one of the best leggies in the world right now. The Haryana lad has 48 wickets from 28 matches. Yuzi is a clever bowler and, deceives the batsman quite easily.

Leg-spinners on both ends have high chances of the wicket-taking. Kulcha has been the trump card for Kohli and hopefully will serve to Rohit as well.

#2. No real competitor

Other positive for India is the absence of a tough competitor for the title. Sri Lanka has not recovered yet from the retirement of three champion players and got ruled out of the tournament by consecutive defeats.

Hong Kong was playing their first ODI in this tournament, though they looked in a pretty comfortable situation at a time against India, but not good enough to upset India. The tournament has progressed into the super four stage and, other teams who made to it includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Pakistan's batting woes continue to exist since last 10 years. Their heavy dependence on top-order was exposed in the latest encounter against India, where the middle order didn't fire up after the collapse of openers.

Injury of Shadab Khan is a huge blow to Pakistan as they don't have a good looking spin attack in the spin-friendly conditions. Furthermore, the form of their fast-bowling spearhead Mohammad Amir is a sign of worry for team management.

Bangladesh has progressed quickly in the last decade so far, but lack of consistency in their batting and bowling performance has been a cause for their failure in big tournaments. The absence of their leading scorer in ODIs, Tamim Iqbal will definitely be felt. Furthermore, injury of Mustafizur complicates the way for their title win.

Afghanistan has looked good, so far in the tournament registering two wins in two matches. Afghans have a really good bowling attack, led by the 20-year-old Rashid Khan. They showed up as they bundled Bangladesh for a paltry total of 119 runs.

A 136 runs victory over Bangladesh will result in a spurt in confidence level of the Afghani players. But, their fragile batting order will be thoroughly tested by the strong Indian bowling lineup.

#1. Experienced Indian side

Indian team is perhaps the most experienced team in the world currently. With the likes of MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan; Indian side looks pretty experienced, in spite of the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli.

Other players like Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik, who have been around for 14 years, have a decent enough experience in the international arena. The young lads in the party have also played a significant amount of cricket and are not new to the international stage.

Experience can prove to be handy, as it had been numerous times in the history of the game. Take the latest example: Hong Kong was playing quite sensible cricket in their second ODI only. They were taking the game away from the hands of India.

At a stage, the scorecard read 174-0. Following a conversation with senior players, captain Rohit Sharma handed over the ball to Kuldeep Yadav and, the field was set for the catch. Hong Kong skipper Anshuman Rath went for an ambitious drive, and the ball went straight to the fielder at extra-cover.

India played a bit of aggressive cricket after that. They strangled the opposition with some quick wickets. Eventually, Hong Kong fell short by 26 runs and, a big upset was avoided.