- Mar 4, 2024
- Oct 23, 2022
The much-awaited Asia Cup 2022 tournament gets underway on August 27 in United Arab Emirates (UAE). As the multi-nation tournament is coming near, there have been many speculations made by the former cricketers and experts pertaining to the marquee event.
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has picked India as the favourite to win the Asia Cup 2022. He stated that the Men in Blue has a strong team and are adaptable to any condition. The Rohit-led side will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, August 28 in Dubai.
“My predicted winner is India,” said Watson on ICC Review. “They’re so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions. That first game is going to be very special to watch because Pakistan have full belief now that they can beat this Indian team.”
Besides picking his favourite team for the tournament, the veteran player was of opinion that whichever team wins India vs Pakistan fixture on Sunday will go on to win the tournament. The last time the eternal rivals squared off against each other was at the 2021 T20 World Cup, the Men in Green thumped India by 10 wickets.
“I think, really, whoever wins that game is going to go on and win the Asia Cup,” said the former all-rounder, speaking about the India-Pakistan clash. “[But] I’ve just got a feeling India [will win the tournament]. They’ve got so much firepower all the way through their batting order, so it’s going to be hard to be able to contain them,” added Watson.
India are the most successful team in the history of the Asia Cup having won the event on seven occasions. Sri Lanka are the second-most successful team as they have won it five times followed by Pakistan, who has been victorious on two occasions. The final of the tournament will be played in Dubai on September 11. India, as they did in 2018, will go into the competition as the defending champions.