India Should Try And Bat First For A Change: Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

Former Indian leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan feels India should try and bat first for a change in the match against Afghanistan. However, India had won their last three games while chasing down the target in the Asia Cup 2018. According to Sivaramakrishnan, Rohit Sharma and Co. should bat first against the Afghan to take a perfect shape in the final.

In fact, it is well known that is better to set up a target in the final rather than chase down in the big games. There is always some pressure while chasing down a target in the final of the tournament.

India Should Try And Bat First For A Change: Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
PC: Getty Images.

India should try to bat first.

“India would like to bat first and defend a target,” Sivaramakrishnan wrote in his column for The TOI. “They have won comfortably whilst chasing, so it will be a nice change to put a total on the board and then see how the bowling group reacts to it.”

Moreover, Laxman said that India had started their Asia Cup slowly with Hong Kong.

However, Rohit Sharma will like to put up some additional strength. The Men in Blue had convincingly won by nine wickets in the last match against Pakistan. It was the second commanding win for India against the Men in Green.

“After a mini stutter against Hong Kong in their opening game, India have gone from strength to strength and booked their place in the Asia Cup final. Their nine-wicket annihilation of Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday night, a second commanding win over their archrivals, was precise and clinical,” Sivaramakrishnan added.

India, Afghanistan, Super Four, Asia Cup 2018, Preview
Chahal celebrates his wicket with his spin partner, Kuldeep Yadav (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Siva added that Afghanistan couldn’t push themselves up in the points table. They played extremely well in the Group stage matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sivaramakrishnan feels that the Afghanistan team looks dangerous when they get wounded. Thus, the Men in Blue should not take them lightly.

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“Afghanistan are no pushovers and must count themselves desperately unlucky that two successive last-over defeats have prematurely ended their campaign. They are an even more dangerous side when wounded, and India will do well not to take them lightly,” Sivaramakrishnan concluded.

India and Afghanistan will face off in the Asia Cup on September 25 (Tuesday).