Indian players to assemble in Dubai on September 4
New Delhi, Aug 28: The 15-member Indian squad led by Suryakumar Yadav will assemble in Dubai on September 4 for the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9.
In a departure from the usually laid out convention, players will reach Dubai in a staggered manner from their respective locations unlike on other occasions when the team would first assemble in Mumbai before departure.
The decision was taken keeping logistics in mind and also the travelling convenience of the players.“All the players will arrive in Dubai by September 4 evening and the first nets session will be held on September 5 at the ICC Academy. Factoring in the logistical convenience, the players will be allowed to fly in to Dubai from their respective cities,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.“Obviously, a few will travel from Mumbai but to ask some of the others to first come to Mumbai and then fly to Dubai doesn’t make sense. In any case, Dubai is a short duration flight compared to other international flights,” he added.India will take on the UAE in their tournament-opener on September 10 before facing arch rivals Pakistan at Dubai on September 14. Their third group match will be against Oman on September 19 before the Super Four stage.
Among the Asia Cup bound cricketers, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana are playing for North Zone against East Zone in Duleep Trophy quarterfinal which got underway on Thursday, while Kuldeep Yadav is playing for Central Zone against North East Zone.The official replied in negative when asked whether Prasidh Krishna or Washington Sundar, who are among standbys, would travel with the main squad as net bowlers. (PTI)
UAE’s Alishan Sharafu ready for India challenge
Mumbai, Aug 28: An admirer of Sachin Tendulkar’s genius and inspired by Hardik Pandya’s fighting spirit, UAE batter Alishan Sharafu is looking forward to the challenge of facing India in the Asia Cup starting September 9.
UAE is placed in Group A alongside India and Pakistan, with Oman being the fourth team. Sharafu said the hosts being clubbed with heavyweights like India and Pakistan is a great learning opportunity. India and the UAE will clash on September 10.
“I wouldn’t say it’s any pressure or nervousness because you want to do well against these teams. We are looking at it as an opportunity. India, obviously (are) one of the best sides in world cricket right now, (so) who wouldn’t want to do well?,” he said in an interaction organised by Sony Sports, the official broadcasters of the tournament.
“We do not necessarily want to focus too much on the opponent and we want to stick to what we want to do, and focus on just playing good cricket. If we back ourselves, then anything could be possible.
“Similarly with Pakistan as well. Yes, they are missing a few names (Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan), but, they are still very good players so (we would) just take it one game at a time,” he added.
The 22-year-old Sharafu said he grew up admiring players like Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, but draws a lot of inspiration from Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes. (PTI)