'They’re so strong' - Shane Watson picks India as favourite to win Asia Cup 2022

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has picked India as the favourite to win the Asia Cup 2022, which will commence on August 27, Saturday. He said that India has a strong team and are adaptable to any condition. India’s Asia Cup campaign will begin on Sunday as they clash against Pakistan in Dubai.

Watson feels that the clash between India and Pakistan is going to be special as he reckons Pakistan would have the belief that they can beat this Indian side. He also opined that whoever wins this fixture would go on to win the tournament. The last time the two sides met was in the 2021 T20 World Cup, which the Men in Green won by 10 wickets.

“My predicted winner is India,” said Watson on ICC Review. “They’re so strong and depending on what the conditions are, they adapt easily to conditions. That first game is going to be very special to watch because Pakistan have full belief now that they can beat this Indian team.”

It’s going to be hard to be able to contain India: Shane Watson

“I think, really, whoever wins that game is going to go on and win the Asia Cup,” said the former all-rounder, speaking about the India-Pakistan clash. “[But] I’ve just got a feeling India [will win the tournament]. They’ve got so much firepower all the way through their batting order, so it’s going to be hard to be able to contain them,” said Watson.

India are in Group A along with Hong Kong and Pakistan. Group B, on the other hand, consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This will be the 15th edition of the Asia Cup, and only the second time in the tournament’s history after 2016, the T20 format will be used for the matches.

The final will be played in Dubai on September 11. India, as they did in 2018, go into the competition as the defending champions. They have won it seven times overall, Sri Lanka have won it five times and Pakistan have won it two times.