R Ashwin Questions Asia Cup Teams' Ability To Compete vs India: "Bangladesh..."
Ravichandran Ashwin suggested structural changes to add more life to the event.
- Ravichandran Ashwin questioned the competitiveness of the Asia Cup tournament
- The former cricketer suggested including South Africa or India A to increase competitiveness of the tournament
- "We haven't even considered Bangladesh in the mix. They are also in this tournament," said Ashwin
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has raised questions over the competitiveness of the Asia Cup. The tournament kicked off on Tuesday with Afghanistan beating Hong Kong in a completely one-sided affair. Chasing 189, Hong Kong collapsed to 94/9 in 20 overs, losing the match by 94 runs. Ashwin feels the eight-team event lacks competitiveness and questions whether any team can challenge India for the title. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin suggested structural changes to add more life to the event.
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"They can almost include a South Africa and make it an Afro-Asia Cup to make the tournament competitive. As it is now, they should probably include an India A side for it to be some contest," said Ashwin,Â
Ashwin took a sly dig at Bangladesh, questioning their ability to challenge for the title.
"We haven't even considered Bangladesh in the mix. They are also in this tournament. We didn't even find the need to talk about them, right? Because there is nothing to stay. They are all struggling... How will they even compete with India in this tournament?" he added.
"In a way, I really hope someone else wins the tournament, because only then will there be a contest in Asia. None of these teams pick Kuldeep or Varun. And we've not even spoken about India's powerful batting line-up, which has match-winners galore," he further pointed out.
Ashwin concluded by saying, "This is not some curtain raiser for the 2026 T20 World Cup, it's only a curtain. This tournament isn't some major yardstick for it."
While Sri Lanka are the defending champions of the Asia Cup T20, India are the most successful side across both formats, with a combined eight titles (1984, 1988, 1990-91, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018 and 2023).
In the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup, the Indian Cricket Team will face opponents like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka in the competition in order to clinch the Asia Cup title once again.
(With ANI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
Bangladesh Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Ravichandran Ashwin