India vs West Indies 4th T20I Preview: Iyer, Hooda To Fight For Asia Cup Berth As India Eye Series Win

05.08.2022 - 13:41 sports.ndtv.com

Shreyas Iyer's performance will be under intense scrutiny as India gear up for the back-to-back T20I games against West Indies, starting here on Saturday, with the twin objective of winning the series and also firming up squad for T20 World Cup.

India are currently leading the five-match series 2-1 and nothing would be more satisfying than a couple of thumping wins in front of the USA's Indian diaspora, which is anticipating an enjoyable weekend cricket carnival.

However in this current India set-up, if there is one man whose performance will be monitored more than anyone else, it has got to be Iyer.

Deepak Hooda, who has used most of the opportunities handed to him, looks good to outwit Iyer at the moment as far as the big ticket T20 World Cup berth is concerned.

cricket West Indies Cricket Team 2022 win cup 4th T20I as Rahul Dravid Asia Cup Deepak Hooda Usa India

Fans gathered outside the ICC Academy in Dubai on Wednesday night hoping to catch a glimpse of their cricket heroes as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan ramped up their preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Red-hot Babar Azam to struggling Virat Kohli: Five to watch at Asia Cup

Asia Cup begins on Saturday with top cricketers, including Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and India superstar Virat Kohli, in action in the United Arab Emirates. Here are five players to watch in the six-nation tournament, which is an important warm-up for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October. BABAR AZAMPakistanWith key pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi out injured, Pakistan will depend heavily on Babar Azam's blazing batting. The 27-year-old leads the T20 and one-day batting rankings and comes into the tournament on the back of two big half-centuries in Pakistan's 3-0 ODI sweep of the Netherlands. He scored an unbeaten 68 as his side demolished India by 10 wickets in the last meeting between the arch-rivals in the 2021 T20 World Cup -- at the same venue where they meet this Sunday.

Hong Kong qualify for Asia Cup, will face India and Pakistan

Hong Kong qualified for the Asia Cup on Wednesday, where they will face India and Pakistan, after defeating the United Arab Emirates by eight wickets in the final qualifying round. Chasing 148 to win, Hong Kong reached their target with an over to spare with Yasim Murtaza top scoring on 58. The 31-year-old Murtaza made his runs off 43 balls and hit seven boundaries and one six.

VVS Laxman Named Interim Head Coach Of Team India For Asia Cup 2022

A day after Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid tested positive for COVID-19, National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman was named the interim head coach of the side for the 2022 Asia Cup. The availability of Dravid for the Asia Cup was in doubt after he tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday. It is important to note that Dravid had not travelled with the team to Zimbabwe for the three-match ODI series, that concluded on Monday. Laxman was the coach of the team in Zimbabwe.

VVS Laxman joins Team India in Dubai for Asia Cup: Report

VVS Laxman has joined the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team, currently in Dubai for the 2022 Asia Cup. According to a Cricbuzz report, Laxman who served as the coach in India's just-concluded three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe, has stayed back in Dubai on return from Harare.

Asia Cup 2022, India vs Pakistan: Watch out for these key player battles

Now that the two arch-rivals don't play any bilateral series due to political reasons, India-Pakistan matches in international multi-nation tournaments add to the intrigue of the storied rivalry between the two cricketing superpowers. India and Pakistan are set to clash in their Asia Cup opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on August 28. This will be match number 2 of the Asia Cup, which was shifted from Sri Lanka to the UAE due to the ongoing crisis in the island nation. Both India and Pakistan have lost their pace spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi to injuries but that won’t affect the spiciness and excitement that comes with an India-Pakistan encounter. TimesofIndia.com here looks at some of the key player battles that can be the difference between victory and defeat and what you need to watch out for: Virat Kohli vs Usman QadirVirat Kohli may be going through a lean patch by his own lofty standards, but underestimating the former Indian captain in a match as big will be a mistake Pakistan will not be wanting to make. India's first match of the Asia Cup against Pakistan will be Kohli’s 100th T20I and he will be gunning more than anyone else to get a formidable score.