The hierarchy of the Asian cricket order is like the solar system. India is at the centre of the universe, shining invincibly and the rest revolving around it like distant planets, several light years away.
The universe was once different. In a not-too-distant past, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were on equal groundings. Between them, they claimed three of the first five T20 World Cups. Twice they decided the finals between themselves. All three had flourishing global T20 leagues, only two have survived the test of times, and one has emerged as the undisputed marvel of the world’s cricketing glitterati.
From the top of the pile, India gnash their teeth, the sport’s invulnerable powerhouse. The next Asian side, Sri Lanka, is six spots beneath them. Behind them are clustered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, in one chunk, reflecting the diminishing prowess of the Asian bloc. Asian teams, with the passion and talent supply, apart from the T20 leagues, were touted to dominate the shortest format. But it has not quite unfolded the predicted way.
But the fate and fortunes of this format, the ficklest of them, could change faster than technology upgrades in Silicon Valley. This would be the central theme of the tournament. To shake-up the established Asian order, to reclaim the lost peaks, or at least show the glimpse of a future when Asia reemerges as a powerful bloc again and not the hegemony of one side.
The popular narrative is that in this format, on any given day, a team towards the bottom of the rankings heap can beat a team near the top. This David and Goliath storyline is undoubtedly attractive to broadcasters and the audience. However, the evidence of the last three years shows that the strong are getting stronger, and the gap between them and the weak is getting much, much wider. It’s no longer a gap, but more of a yawning chasm.
India Ahead
However, India’s ascent to the helm is not shocking. They passed through a baffling phase where they struggled to grasp the shape-shifting essence of the game. They have now not only nailed it, but their dynasty looks set to rule the T20 world in years to come with their ceaseless flow of talent, all types from all corners of the vast country. Almost every major cricketing state has a league, functioning as tributaries to the ocean that is the IPL, the second most lucrative dollars-per-minute sports league in the world after the NFL.
A 15-member squad is too under-sized to accommodate all of their sizzling talents. In no other country would have Shreyas Iyer found himself not listed in the playing eleven, leave alone the squad. Or Yashasvi Jaiswal and Washington Sundar. Few other countries would have Kuldeep Yadav and Sanju Samson wondering whether they would be in the playing eleven. Or the re-entry of Shubman Gill raised doubts. Or Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are not even afterthoughts. A thrilling approach has illuminated their success, handing them an aura of impenetrability. In the last three years, India have lost only one series, a close-fought rubber against the West Indies. In a three-year period of domination unseen in this format, they have won 11 series, apart from raising the World Cup. Seemingly, there is little vulnerability, their rhythms hardened into routines, as they look to assert their supremacy. In the last three global white-ball tournaments, their records speak in itself—finalists, winners, winners.
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And then the rest
Others would wish for similar riches. Sri Lanka have been futilely trying to resist their schizophrenic tendencies. For every two steps they take forward, they take two back. A young group, with unheard names comprising them, scripted a famous Asia Cup triumph in 2022, only for the dawn to fizzle out soon. Since then, they have changed captains twice and won 19 of the 43 games. The transition-phase has been long and arduous. There are leagues-familiar faces, but have been erratic when wearing the national colours. Nonetheless, there is a foundation on which they could build something for the future.
Pakistan is searching for the very foundation that could breathe life into their T20 lives, as well as an identity. Theirs is a curious case of shunted growth in T20s. Arguably the most consistent of Asian teams, they had reached the T20 World Cup final in 2021. But thereafter they turned stale, and slumped to one-dimensionality. The pillars began to shake—the swelling responsibilities burdened Babar Azam, rather than raising his game, it plummeted especially in T20s where he had never looked like a natural. More damning, though, was the diminishing of Shaheen Shah Afridi, once held in the same breath as Jasprit Bumrah in white-ball cricket, feared and admired, but now pitted to prove his worth again. Relievingly, Haris Rauf has rediscovered his bark and bite, and the tri-series victory in the lead up to the Asia Cup raises hope.
Nonetheless, they fascinate and intrigue in equal volume. Salman Agha’s brand new roster promises new-age aggression. After teething woes in New Zealand, they have beaten Bangladesh and West Indies, and drawn the former away. The new batting nucleus of Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz and Agha himself has embraced a more dynamic approach, or in Agha’s words, “fearless but not careless cricket.” “This is a young team and we want to play fearless cricket. That is high-risk cricket, which is a requirement in modern cricket. There will be failures with that approach, but we have to support our players,” he would say.
Their challenges are two-fold, the lofty and futuristic one relates to catching up with India. The more immediate purpose entails staying at an arm’s length from Afghanistan, who are making incremental steps without making the big leap that could promote them from odd party-spoilers to consistent competitors. Over-reliance on spinners has been the bane. Once batsmen chime in with weighty contributions, they could be a sterner tournament force.
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Lest, they risk plateauing like Bangladesh. Nearly three decades since Bangladesh became international regulars, their progress has been staggered. A stray upset, a rare spark, they have never really threatened the Asian order. The story has been the same, when one end tightens, the other loosens. There is no dearth of desire or spirit, but they are stuck in time, their brand of cricket outdated. Like Pakistan, they need to press the reset button.
The predominant theme, thus, is India versus the rest to recapture the fading charms of Asia Cup, to make it more competitive, meaningful and a clash of equals as it once was, and whether the flickering planets could blaze brightly enough to orchestrate a solar eclipse and break the Indian hegemony.
