Red-Hot Babar Azam To Struggling Virat Kohli: 5 To Watch At Asia Cup

The Asia Cup begins on Saturday with top cricketers including India superstar Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam 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.

Red-hot Azam

With key pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi out injured, Pakistan will depend heavily on 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.

Cornered Kohli

Star batter Virat Kohli will play in his 100th T20 international when India face Pakistan in their opener, having been rested from the recent tour of the West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The 33-year-old badly needs a big score. He last hit an international century in November 2019 and is going through the worst phase of his otherwise stellar career.

Kohli, who has struck 27 centuries in 102 Tests since making his debut in 2011, has endured a torrid 12 months that also saw him replaced as national captain.

"He gets a fifty in the very first game, mouths will be shut for the rest of the tournament," said Ravi Shastri, the former India coach.

All-round Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga made a strong impact with his leg-spin in this year's Indian Premier League, taking 26 wickets in 16 matches to raise his stock as an impact bowler.

Alongside fellow spinners Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffery Vandersay and Praveen Jayawickrama he will lead Sri Lanka's bowling