India look like title contenders again, but Asian cricket landscape changing

As you would expect at this stage of the Asia Cup, the six-team contest has been whittled down to four. The only real surprise in terms of results is Sri Lanka's early exit from the tournament. That being said, the competition has been exciting so far – barring the one-sided game between Pakistan and Hong Kong – and there have been a few interesting narratives to emerge during the past week. Even though the rivalry between India and Pakistan still forms the cornerstone of the tournament , there is little doubt the nature of cricket's landscape across the continent is gradually changing for the better. The stature of Bangladesh – finalists in the 2012 and 2016 competitions – continues to grow in the limited-overs game, having beaten Sri Lanka in the opening match. But they have now been joined by Afghanistan and Hong Kong as amazing prospects for the future. Even before the tournament kicked off, leg-spinner Rashid Khan had sounded bullish about Afghanistan's title tilt . A week later, however, it is clear he was not just talking the talk. Test cricket's newest member beat Sri Lanka to knock the five-time champions out of the competition and qualify for the Super Four stage. Hong Kong may have received a thrashing from Pakistan, but the opening stand worth 174 runs between captain Anshuman Rath and Nizakat Khan lay the foundation for a possible upset of India. It was not to be, but for the best part of Hong Kong’s chase India’s fielders were kept on tenterhooks. What a difference 24 hours can make. From being faced with the unlikely prospect of losing to Hong Kong and then, possibly, a confident Pakistan side over back-to-back days, India have bounced back to win both games and top Group A . They kept their cool, bowling and fielding with discipline, even as Hong Kong made a good fist of their run chase. Seamer Khaleel Ahmed was particularly impressive on debut, while his more experienced teammates did the smart thing by keeping the pressure on and waiting for the inexperienced Hong Kong batsmen to make mistakes. The bowling attack also excelled against Pakistan, attacking their batters and taking wickets at regular intervals. The batting has been decent so far, with everyone in the top order making meaningful contributions. Early days yet, but all this augurs well for their chances of reaching the final. As UAE cricketer Ahmed Raza told The National last week , there is a plenty of respect to go around for the Pakistan team. But there is also that feeling deep down among opponents that they can be beaten, because it is hard to say when it is their day and when it is not. Wednesday was not their day, and despite being marginal favourites against India, they got crushed by their arch-rivals. This time the trouble lay with the batting. Babar Azam (47) and Shoaib Malik (43) – both experienced players – did the hard work of repairing the damage after Pakistan had been reduced to 3-2, but threw away their wickets at the wrong time. Had one of them gone on to score a hundred, Pakistan would have set a total far more imposing than the 162 they managed on the day. This is not to say, they have become underdogs overnight. But if they have to beat India and win the tournament – the sides could meet twice, including possibly in the final – then they need to improve their batting. ______________ Read more: Paul Radley: After Asia Cup trip, Hong Kong cricket fans can look up to their own stars India's Asia Cup talking points: Virat Kohli's absence in UAE maybe good, maybe bad ______________ Sri Lanka have much to do to make themselves contenders at the World Cup in the United Kingdom next year. Their bowling is not as much of a worry, given that off-spinner Akila Dananjaya is in good form and veteran paceman Lasith Malinga has returned to the side with a bang . The batting, however, remains far from convincing – just like it had been during the home series defeat to South Africa last month. Granted there were mitigating factors in the UAE: Dinesh Chandimal was out injured; perhaps, they should have included Niroshan Dickwella in the XI; and maybe, Lahiru Thirimanne can yet make a successful comeback to the side. But like former India opener Gautam Gambhir once said, it is not just about picking the right players but the right combination of players. If Sri Lanka select the right batting order, and the likes of Upul Tharanga and Angelo Mathews lead by example, Sri Lanka can still get their World Cup preparations back on track.

India look like title contenders again, but Asian cricket landscape changing

Here is a look at the Asia Cup talking points as the focus shifts to the Super Four stage of competition