File photo of Indian cricket team© AFP
The Indian cricket team has a long legacy of producing quality spinners over the years and in the recent past, the spin attack has played a massive role in their success on the global stage. Ahead of their Asia Cup 2023 opener against Pakistan on September 2, questions remain over the composition of the spin attack that skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid may opt for but one thing is clear – the spinners will have a major role to play. The importance of the Indian spinners is extremely apparent when they are compared to their Pakistan counterparts since 2022. While Pakistan spinners have taken 57 ODI wickets in this period, India’s spin attack have contributed massively with 100 dismissals.
While the numbers of wickets is quite superior when it comes to Indian spinners, what makes the statistics even more interesting is the economy rate. The Indian spinners (5.1) once again have a slight advantage in that sector in comparison to the Pakistan bowlers who had an economy rate of 5.3.
Three possible high-octane India versus Pakistan games for the starved fans on both sides of the border along with a final chance for five nations to put their respective houses in order before the World Cup adds context to the Asia Cup, starting in Multan on Wednesday.
It is a tournament that has often struggled to find relevance in the midst of mushrooming bilateral contests over the last decade along with the waning popularity of T20 cricket but the 2023 edition, beginning on Wednesday, has occupied a large slice of the mind space of team think tanks.
(With PTI inputs)
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