The ICC ODI World Cup is a once-in-a-four-year tournament and 2023 is a world cup year. The most awaited tournament will take place in the months of October-November in India. Before the World Cup, Asia Cup will take place in the month of August and the venue is yet to be finalized.
This year the Asia Cup is going to be played in the 50-over format, unlike the previous edition which was in the T20 format. One of the main reasons for the tournament being played in ODI format this year is because of the World Cup and it might prove to be a good preparation time for teams right before the marquee tournament.
The Asia Cup is expected to be of extreme importance for the Indian team because of the below-mentioned factors.
Testing the bench strength
The Asia Cup will be a good way for the Indian team management and the support staff to test the bench strength of the team and nurture them along with the experienced players. It will be good if India tries out some youngsters in the Asia Cup as the players might be needed in the world cup due to last-minute injuries or any other factor.
Finding replacements for players who will miss the World Cup
Team India can also think of the Asia Cup as a tournament where they can find replacements for players like Rishabh Pant, K.L. Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, etc. who are likely to miss out on the world cup due to injury.
Trying out new strategies and combinations
The Asia Cup could also prove to be a tournament for them where they can experiment with some new strategies and team combinations and can implement them during the world cup if they work out fine.
Giving their probable playing 11 ample game time
The most important thing will be giving full opportunity to the players who will play in the world cup 100% and giving them proper match practice before the big event.
