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India's conservative approach at the start of the innings had contributed to their early exit from the T20 World Cup last year. The tournament was Shastri's last assignment as India head coach.
Ravi Shastri has claimed that if talismanic India batter Virat Kohli gets a fifty in the side's match against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on August 28, then the mouths of critics will be quiet for the rest of the tournament. If he features in India's Asia Cup opener against Pakistan, dubbed as the 'greatest rivalry' in cricketing world, it will also mark Kohli's 100th T20I appearance. Kohli returns to the Indian team for the Asia Cup in T20I format, having last featured for the national team during the tour of England in July. He was then rested for white-ball tour of West Indies and ODIs against Zimbabwe. Kohli has been in a prolonged lean patch, having not scored a century in international cricket since November 2019.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is undoubtedly one of the best batters in the world on current form. After his ODI debut in 2016, the 27-year-old batter has played 92 matches, scoring 4664 runs and 17 centuries. Babar also has great numbers in Tests and T20Is, scoring 3122 and 2686 runs respectively. Currently, Babar is preparing for the upcoming Asia Cup, where Pakistan will square off against arch-rivals India in their opening game on August 28. As the match is just around the corner, former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris called Babar the "number one man going around" and said that a "special delivery" will be needed to dismiss the Pakistan skipper.
Virat Kohli will be back in action at the upcoming Asia Cup. It's fair to say that most, if not all, eyes will be on Kohli, who was rested for the tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe. The upcoming Asia Cup, starting August 27, in many ways will be a testing ground for the selectors to assess Indian talent ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. The million dollar question is - if Virat doesn't come good with the bat with consistent high scores etc, will his spot in the T20 World Cup squad be in danger? WHAT THE NUMBERS SAYKohli hasn't scored an international century since November 2019, but it would be incorrect and unfair to say that he hasn't been among the runs for his team. Kohli, who has 23,726 international runs in 463 matches (ODIs, Tests, and T20Is), is fourth on the list of Indian Test run getters, since his last international century, after Rishabh Pant (1369 runs in 20 matches), Cheteshwar Pujara (1052 runs in 21 matches) and Rohit Sharma (996 runs in 13 matches). Kohli in this period has played 18 Tests (since November 2019) and scored 872 runs at an average of 27.25, including 6 fifties.
India will be playing against Pakistan in the much-awaited Asia Cup 2022 clash on August 28. One player who will be badly missed in the high-octane encounter is Jasprit Bumrah. It is worth-noting that the pacer, who has been the spearhead of India's bowling line-up, will miss the continental event due to a back injury. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and making sure that he leaves no stone unturned in getting back to his best in terms of fitness as soon as possible.
The Asia Cup clash between India and Pakistan is going to be a high voltage affair and a lot will come down to which team seizes the big moments. One of those moments in the match would be the death overs where batters from both teams would like to maximise the returns.
Virat Kohli has struggled for runs over the past two years but Pakistan legend Wasim Akram feels the former India captain remains one of the all-time greats and comparing Babar Azam with him is still a bit premature. All eyes will be on Kohli when India meet Pakistan in their Asia Cup opener in Dubai on Sunday. Kohli will come into the match with a fresh mind having taken a break for the away series against the West Indies. While Kohli has gone through an extended lean patch with no hundred since November 2019, the much younger Babar seems to be at the peak of his powers and doing well across formats. "First of all let me start by saying that criticism from Indian fans against Kohli has been unnecessary. He is one of the greatest of all times not just this era. He still fit as a fiddle. He is still one of the best fielders in the Indian squad. "As they say class is forever and that is Virat Kohli. Hope he doesn't come back to form against Pakistan but he will come back eventually," said Akram in a press conference organised by Star Sports, the official broadcaster for Asia Cup.
Virat Kohli has been at the centre of tremendous scrutiny ever since his form with the bat has waned. A lot has been written about him in the media and there has been a growing concern in Indian fans about Kohli's effectiveness as a batter. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has put things into perspective and called out those who have been critical of Kohli's recent performances.