Waqar Younis Not Surprised By India's Dominating Show In Asia Cup

Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis has said India’s domination in the just-concluded Asia Cup has not surprised him. India  beat Bangladesh by 3 wickets in a thrilling final to cap off a fantastic tournament for them.

While India were one of the favourites to win the Asia Cup, the odds were stacked against them. They came to UAE after a forgettable tour of England. India had lost the ODI and Test series in England. What made their task tougher was the absence of their talismanic skipper and batting mainstay Virat Kohli.

After a long tour of the United Kingdom, the selectors rested Kohli for the continental championship. But in the end, those hurdles did not make much of a difference as India went on to justify their favourites tag by winning the competition. Barring the final, India looked in cruise control throughout the competition.

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Led by skipper Rohit Sharma, India had little difficulty in blowing away the likes of Pakistan and Bangladesh to enter the final with ease. In the title-decider, Bangladesh gave the Men in Blue a run for their money but eventually lost the game. Chasing a modest 223, India were in a spot of bother. However, Kedar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav held their nerves to ensure India win the thriller in Dubai.

The team’s dominating performance in the competition that too in the absence of their skipper has left many surprised. However, Waqar Younis is not one of them. The legendary pacer hailed India as ‘a professional outfit’ as he praised the Asian champions.

“See, Virat Kohli is Virat Kohli. You cannot really challenge that. But I think even without him this Indian team has really done well in the Asia Cup,” he told Khaleej Times.

“Look, India is a very professional outfit when it comes to playing in this part of the world. Playing on these pitches is very much like playing in India. They have got a world class openers. And it is very difficult when you have someone like Rohit (Sharma) and Shikhar (Dhawan) opening the innings and they are giving you a good partnership almost every time.”

Waqar further heaped praise on Rohit for his captaincy. Leading India for the first time in a 50-over tournament, Rohit proved his captaincy credentials with a superb display. He scored 317 runs to lead his side from the front and drew praise from all over for the way he managed the team.

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