5 Things you should not miss in the Asia Cup 2018

The Asia Cup to be hosted by BCCI is all set to dazzle the desert state of UAE from mid September. This season will see top teams from the sub continent locking horns to establish supremacy over the rest.

This year's Asia Cup will once again be in the traditional 50 over format to serve as a run up to the World Cup 2019. India and Pakistan clash on September 19 at Dubai after a yearlong gap since last year's Champions Trophy finals.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have confirmed births while one team will qualify from UAE, Singapore, Oman, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The tournament will be in the conventional group format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage. The top two teams at the end of Super Four stage will lock horns for the finals.Here are few of the major things to look out for in the tournament-

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1) India's Batting Order

This is as close as India can get to the World Cup 2019 and if their plans fall apart here, it's most likely to fail in England under extreme competition. Virat Kohli, fresh out of the England tour will be keen to establish the pecking order lock, stock and barrel. Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey,Dinesh Karthik and Kedhar Jhadav have all thrown their hats into the ring for selection.

Amongst the many issues, slotting the abundantly talented KL Rahul and defining Hardik Pandya's role as a batting or bowling all rounder will be of prime importance.

2) The Afghan Uprising

There is a different blue in the horizon this Asia Cup

The Afghanistan Cricket team has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. By pushing Zimbabwe and Ireland out of the qualifiers and whitewashing Bangladesh in their own backyard, they have made peoples take notice of them and have staked a claim for the World Cup 2019.

It further helps that Afghanistan cricketers are extremely aware and experienced in these conditions. In the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi , Asghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Shehzad, Afghanistan enjoys a competitive T20 team. Though they failed in their inaugural Test match versus India, it will be interesting to see how they perform in the 50 over format.

3) Performance of underperforming teams

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka likely to pick up from where they left

At present, India and Pakistan are the best Asian Teams and they are ahead by miles as compared to the rest. Of late, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have failed to perform consistently as a unit. But, both the teams will stake claim for attention in the Asia Cup.

Sri Lanka will be wary of the fact that Bangladesh knocked them out of the Nidahas Trophy and so, taking them lightly might prove to be risky. Bangladesh will rely on the experience of Shakib Al Hasan , Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim to deliver the goods. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will put onus on the likes of Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga and Kusal Mendis to deliver on the big stage.

4) Showboating of Pakistan bowling attack

Expect fireworks from a good and well oiled bowling unit

Pace has always been Pakistan's sledge hammer and the nation has produced some of the the best in class fast bowlers. For a few years, it did appear as though, their strengths were feigning, but a renewed lease of life to Mohammad Aamir coupled with the emergence of Hasan Ali, Junaid khan, Usman Khan and Faheem Ashraf have reaped Pakistan great dividends.

Add to this the spin options by Shadab Khan and Shoaib Malik and the Men in Green might have the best bowling unit going into the Asia Cup. A strong and mighty Indian batting order is still licking it's wounds from an onslaught in England last year during Champions Trophy. Pakistan will want to prove that it wasn't a one off thing.

5) The IPL Scanner

The Asia Cup in UAE will be a great platform to attract the attention of IPL scouts

The IPL has become a massive platform for opportunities and has evolved into a global event. Furthermore, due to the scheduled general elections next year, speculations are ripe that the gala event might shift to UAE.

So the subtext is clear, perform well here and stand a chance to earn a ticket to cricket's richest tournament. There will be lots of eyes on players like Akila Dananjaya, Kusal Mendis, Sabbir Rahman, Asghar Stanikzai and others to gauge their potential in those conditions. It will also be interesting to see the performance of the players from the Associate Nations such as Chirag Suri from UAE or Sandeep Lamicchane from Nepal in the event.

A good showing against the top tier teams will enhance their games and make them an even better player in the future.