Asia Cup 2022: "India went down only because they are not letting the model set" - Ramiz Raja

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja opined that India's unsuccessful Asia Cup 2022 campaign occurred due to their failure to find a winning model. Raja observed that the Men in Blue made too many changes leading up to the tournament.

Although India finished the group stage of the Asia Cup with a perfect record, they lost back-to-back games in the Super-Four stage. The Men in Blue lost to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with both opponents chasing down totals of over 170 in Dubai.

Ahead of the Asia Cup final on Sunday in Dubai, Raja observed that India are making too many changes and not letting a winning model set in. Raja revealed that Pakistan have stuck to a winning model without trying too many players.

Raja said as quoted by News18:

"India went down only because they are not letting the model set. They are making too many changes. They have a bigger pool of players with which they are experimenting. So, unless you don’t have that kind of bench strength, you don’t need experimentation."

He continued:

"You have seen the team’s ranking; the results are also visible. If we compare the teams of India and Pakistan, people have been asking me why am I playing the same combination? You will leave them injured or so my point is that we have handled a particular situation and won games. So, why should I change the winning model."

India entered the competition as firm favorites to lift the trophy and were the defending champions. Virat Kohli, who is currently the highest run-getter in the tournament, has been the only silver lining for India in an otherwise wretched campaign. The 33-year-old scored his first T20I hundred against Afghanistan in Dubai.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka to lock horns in the Asia Cup final

Babar Azam will be keen to return to form. (Credits: Twitter)

Meanwhile, the 2022 Asian Cup final will be contested by Pakistan and Sri Lanka for the first time since 2014. Sri Lanka, who won eight years ago, holds a slight edge after their five-wicket win in the final match of the Super four stage.

For Pakistan, the focus will be on their skipper Babar Azam, who has managed only 63 runs in five innings in the tournament. The right-handed batter scored a sluggish 30 against Sri Lanka as the men in green put only 121 on the board.