Asia Cup final 2023: Experiment time over, India need to focus on real deal

Shreyas Iyer

It's a dilemma any cricket team management will face. Do they try out reserve players in an inconsequential match and risk a below-par performance from the team or do they put up their strongest squad and try to win the game?

That was the situation the Indian think-tank faced in the match against Bangladesh on Friday and after making as many as five changes, they ended up on the losing side in a close finish.

Though the fanatic Indian cricket fans are unforgiving and want to see their team win each and every game, the priorities of the team management are vastly different.

They had to rest the main players to keep them fresh for today's Asia Cup final and also try out the players who were on the bench.

Also Read: Asia Cup final 2023: Washington to replace injured Axar Patel

Good going otherwise

If you don't see too much into the defeat against Bangladesh, by and large Team India have had a very good tournament.

They have gone from strength to strength, with batters like Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli showing excellent form.

The bowlers too have been on the ball, the most outstanding being Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav. However, there have been a couple of disappointments. The failure of debutant Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav sticks out like a sore thumb.

Thus, going into the three-match ODI series against Australia next week, ideally, the Indian selectors ought to try out players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Varma who all have great potential.

But then, the time for experimentation is over and Team India need to get down to brass tacks. The 15-member squad for the World Cup has already been announced.

Iyer, the big concern

However, the immediate goal is to win the Asia Cup as they come up against a determined Sri Lankan team. The biggest concern is the fitness of Shreyas Iyer. He has the tendency to break down at the drop of a hat as he has a dodgy back.