Asia Cup 2022: India and Sri Lanka on Tuesday locked horns against each other in the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium. The match saw the Lankan lions beat the men in blue by 6 wickets and almost knocked them out of the tournament. As the defending champions are set to bow out of the Asia Cup, which is a preparation for the fabled T20 World Cup 2022, former Indian cricketer RP Singh has opened up on the players who are likely to be dropped for the marquee event in Australia.
In an exclusive chat with India TV, the former Indian pacer Singh was asked about whether the recent losses will affect the team's planning for the World Cup and what changes shall be made to the team. Singh said that the planning looks fine but the team management can look to drop some big players.
"The planning looks fine to me but there are two-three players who can be dropped (for the World Cup)," Singh said in the show "Asia ka King Kaun".
The 36-year-old added, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the players who may not find their places in the team for the World Cup. Singh also stated that one or two support staff members can also be left out as the team has not done well since they joined.
RP Singh was left disappointed with the way Rishabh Pant and Bhuvneshwar Kumar played. "Rishabh Pant has disappointed me the most. You should not always look to go over mid-wicket, cow corner regions, you should explore other shots as well. The selectors have invested a lot on Pant but if he will not perform up to the mark, selectors will have to take some tough calls," the former left-arm seamer said.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was once again given the role to bowl the all-important penultimate over of the game but the right-arm seamer leaked runs in both the recent outings. Singh said that the 32-year-old Kumar has disappointed him when the team expected him to bowl a tight over and put India on the front foot in the final moments of the game. He also stated that it was a middle-order batting failure which disallowed India to finish well and the death bowling eventually led to the team's losing cause.
The Indian team managed to put 173 runs on the scoreboard despite being in a strong position in the first 10 overs. They were enroute to go big, maybe score 200, but fell short by 27 runs. The batting was led by Rohit Sharma, who played a scintillating knock of 72 off 41 balls. But after he departed, the batting line-up fell like a pack of cards.
In the bowling department, India was pushed way far on the back foot by the Lankan openers Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis as they set the perfect platform for the chase. India inflicted some blows on Sri Lanka and kept the contest alive but the Lankan lions kept on marching and sealed the deal in the final over with 6 wickets in hand. India is now dependent on other results and will also have to beat Afghanistan to stay in contention for the final.
