Will the Limited Gap Between England Tour and Asia Cup 2018 Affect Team India's Performance?

Team India is currently in England fighting it out in a five-match Test series, and later next month, they would feature in the Asia Cup 2018 in the UAE.

After winning the T20I series and losing the ODI series, the Tests also have some exciting cricket in store for everyone. It was a terrific all-round performance by Sam Curran which handed England a 31-run victory in the first Test at Edgbaston.

Ben Stokes came up with an inspired performance for the hosts on day four. For the visitors, it was a valiant effort from Virat Kohli which helped them claw their way back into the game. However, in the end, the English bowlers held their nerves and gave England a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

However, India’s daddy England tour would end on September 11^th with the final Test match at the Oval. Just after the completion of the Test series, the Indian team will directly fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the Asia Cup 2018.

England-India Tests finishes on 11th September

The ongoing Test series is undoubtedly one of the biggest cricketing schedules in the calendar year for India. They would get judged as a Test team on their performance in England.

On the past two tours, the India team had lost quite badly in England. With a sensational team to boast of, India stands a great chance of winning their fourth Test series in England this time around. However, there is no denying the fact that the team won’t fully get prepared for the Asia Cup 2018.

With the current series going on, there is hardly a time for India to get back to the limited-overs mode. Hence, it will hamper their preparations for the Asia Cup 2018.

India plays the last Test till 11^th September, and the Asia Cup 2018 begins on 15^th September. However, not even a single member of the team will be least bothered about the tournament as of now.

Five-Match Tests series crucial for India

It is a huge series going on for the visitors and a victory for them will be a make or break situation for many players in the squad. However, there is no denying one fact that the Asia Cup 2018 might pose a challenge or two to India.

The players, especially in the squad for the Tests in England, will be fatigued by the end of the series. To recover in four-five days time and bowl and bat with proficiency might not be an easy task for the men in blue.

They have been in the United Kingdom for more than a month already. Given the intensity of the tour, there is no doubt they will be gasping for breath by the time the series ends. Meanwhile, India had played some exceptional cricket across all three formats of the game. However, the scheduling for them has been such that there is a huge possibility of a below-par performance being witnessed by India in the Asia Cup 2018.

India opens their Asia Cup campaign on 18th September

The team as per schedule is expected to begin their campaign on 18^th September against the Qualifying side. However, the matter of concern is the match which they will play the very next day.

As per the current schedule, India will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19th. We have hardly seen teams playing back to back matches, especially in the 50-overs format. Hence, there is no doubt that it might affect the performance of the men in blue.

Many of the players including the likes of Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav are expected to be part of India’s ODI team which will tour UAE for the Asia Cup 2018. However, there is a huge possibility that the team management might decide to send a 2^nd string team to UAE.