Asia Cup 2022: 3 areas of concern for Team India heading into the Super 4

Team India became the second team to qualify for the Super 4 round of the Asia Cup 2022 after beating Hong Kong by 40 runs in Dubai on Wednesday, August 31. Batting first, the Men in Blue posted an imposing 192 for two on the board, courtesy of twin half-centuries from Suryakumar Yadav (68* off 26) and Virat Kohli (59* off 44). Hong Kong responded with 152 for five in their 20 overs.

Earlier, India got the better of arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in their first match of the tournament. Bowling first, they did exceedingly well to restrict the opposition to 147 in 19.5 overs. Experienced pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed four for 26, while Hardik Pandya also impressed with three for 25. In reply, Virat Kohli (35) and Ravindra Jadeja (35) played handy knocks before Hardik did the finishing job with a blazing 33* off 17 balls.

Team India will go into the Super 4 round of the Asia Cup 2022 high on confidence, having won both their matches so far. However, we take a look at three areas of concern for the Men in Blue heading into the next round of the continental tournament.

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#1 KL Rahul looking rusty

Team India opener KL Rahul. Pic: Getty Images

Team India opener KL Rahul has looked completely out of sorts since his return to the national squad after a lengthy injury layoff. He was added to the Indian squad for the ODIs against Zimbabwe in Harare just a few days before the start of the series. Named captain, he took the strange decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the first two matches.

He did not open in the first ODI and did not get a chance to bat as the visitors won the game by 10 wickets. Rahul opened in the second match, but was dismissed for just one off five balls. He struggled in the third ODI as well. Although he faced 46 deliveries, the right-handed batter managed only 30 runs, hitting just one four and a six.

Rahul has looked rusty in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 as well. He was out for a golden duck against Pakistan, dragging a delivery from debutant Naseem Shah back onto the stumps. The 30-year-old had a good opportunity to play a big innings against Hong Kong. And while he got another start, he was dismissed for an ungainly 36 off 39 balls.

Rahul’s form is a matter of concern not just for the Asia Cup, but keeping the T20 World Cup in mind as well. With the likes of Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan waiting in the wings, it will be imperative for Rahul to rediscover his batting form soon.

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#2 Avesh Khan’s inconsistency

Team India pacer Avesh Khan bowling against Hong Kong. Pic: Getty Images

Young pacer Avesh Khan may not make the cut for the T20 World Cup. But considering that Team India are depending on him to do well in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, the 25-year-old’s inconsistency with the ball is a bit worrying. In 15 T20Is, the youngster has claimed 13 wickets at an expensive economy rate of 9.10.

Avesh had an extremely poor match against Hong Kong, conceding 53 runs in his four overs. He was erratic for the most part and was punished for the same. During the series against West Indies, he went for 31 in 2.2 overs in the second T20I and 47 in three overs in the next match. Although he did come up with a Player of the Match performance in the fourth T20I, he definitely needs to work on his consistency.

Even in the T20 series against South Africa at home, he was inconsistent with his line and lengths. Avesh went for quite a few in a couple of matches before redeeming himself with another impressive performance - 4/18 in the Rajkot game.

Given his tendency to blow hot and cold, the youngster’s presence in Team India’s bowling line-up will be a double-edged sword. Opponents will look to attack him, knowing he is the weak link in the bowling. It will be interesting to see how Avesh responds to the challenge.

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#3 Loss of Ravindra Jadeja due to injury

Ravindra Jadeja batting against Pakistan. Pic: Getty Images

Team India suffered a major blow ahead of the Super 4 round, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja being ruled out due to a knee injury. Along with fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Jadeja provides some much-needed balance to India's playing XI. His versatile skills were on show in the group matches.

In the high-voltage clash against Pakistan, Jadeja was promoted to No. 4 in the chase of 148. Team India lost skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to Mohammad Nawaz and felt the need for a southpaw to counter the left-arm spinner. Jadeja did an excellent job, scoring 35 off 29 and featuring in a game-changing 52-run stand with Pandya.

Even in a low-pressure game against Hong Kong, he made a significant impact. The left-arm spinner registered economical figures of one for 15 from his four overs and managed a direct hit to run out opposition skipper Nizakat Khan.

Axar Patel is the closest replacement India can find for Jadeja among their current options. He has done an efficient job more often than not when he has been called up to the Indian team.

While Axar has good skills with bat and ball, he does lack the X factor that Jadeja brings to the table. It remains to be seen how Jadeja's absence will impact Team India in the Super 4 stage.

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