India takes on Afghanistan in inconsequential match

India would do well to rotate the squad in order to rest key players and let the bench have a look in while Afghanistan will hope to finish on a high.

India, led by captain Rohit Sharma may be tempted to rest in-form Shikhar Dhawan for the inconsequential match against Afghanistan.

Upsets, heroics, lopsided wins, nail-biting finishes. Besides witnessing all these virtues over the last eight days, the Asia Cup has also witnessed inconsequential affairs.

Tuesday will add to the list of matches with no impact on the tournament outcome as India – having already booked a place in the final, will play Afghanistan, whose shattering last-over losses in its last two games have put an end to its hopes of progressing to the final, in the penultimate clash of the Super Four stage.

Of the 10 games so far, the last two of the league stage were inconsequential ties. Add to that Tuesday's and it may give food for thought to the organisers over the format of the tournament.

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At a time when international cricket in general and ODI cricket in particular is fighting for relevance, three meaningless affairs in a tournament of 13 matches is detrimental to spectator interest. But with Pakistan still in contention to make it a mouthwatering India-Pakistan final, wonder if the key stakeholders including the organisers and the broadcaster will be forced to rethink the format. 

Testing bench strength

The teams, on the other hand, will take the field at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium with contrasting mindsets. India may well rotate the squad in order to rest key players and let the bench have a look in while Afghanistan will hope to cross the line after suffering from the “so-near-yet-so-far” syndrome twice in as many matches. 

Don't be surprised if speedster Jasprit Bumrah is given a break, just like he was during India's tournament-opener versus Hong Kong. If the yorker specialist, who bamboozled the Pakistan lower order with his consistency on Sunday, is given a deserving break, rookie left-armer Khaleel Ahmed will get another outing.

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Similarly, the management may be tempted to rest in-form Shikhar Dhawan and give game-time to K.L. Rahul, who has been serving drinks the whole week. Manish Pandey too is waiting for a place in the starting line-up but it will be interesting to see if the think-tank gives Ambati Rayudu or Dinesh Karthik a break.

Afghanistan's mettle to rise from the deep disappointment of failing to cross the line at the very last hurdle will be on display. Had Asghar Afghan's men held their nerves in the last over either versus Pakistan or Bangladesh, the team would have been in contention to make it to the final. However, they will not have to try and stretch an on-song India outfit and end its Asia Cup campaign on a high.

Leggies' battle

The match will also see two of the most successful leg-spinners in white-ball cricket in the last couple of years, plying their trade against each other. Rather than bowling to each other, Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal will be hoping to outdo each other in terms of impact on the game. Chahal said after the win against Pakistan on Sunday night that he is a “fan of Rashid's bowling” and was keen on discussing the nuances of leg-spin bowling with his counterpart on the sidelines of the game. 

 

Match starts 5 p.m. IST