Jonathan Trott, the head coach of the Afghanistan men’s cricket team, hailed the Indian squad and described them as one of the favourites in the current Asia Cup. India’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign got off to a great start as they defeated Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in both of their group stage matches.
Batting second in both games, the Indian squad won convincingly, defeating Pakistan by seven wickets and the United Arab Emirates by nine wickets. Trott also gave Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav praise, pointing out that the position has come with additional responsibilities.
Afghanistan is still in third place after one victory and one defeat.
“There is usually something positive about any team that India fields these days. We witnessed them in the Champions Trophy here in the 50 overs during the Asia Cup. They are among the favourites, and it would be a mistake not to mention that. Now that he is captain, I believe Suryakumar Yadav is an outstanding player. Thus, it’s an additional duty, and I’m interested to see how he handles that leadership position,” Trott was cited by Tribune India as adding.
Gulbadin Naib, the outstanding all-rounder for Afghanistan, lavished the Indian squad with accolades, referring to them as the best team in both Asia and the world. Naib acknowledged that he has always loved learning from Indian players, having shared the dressing room with them during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“You learn a lot from these boys; India is the best team in Asia and the world,” Naib remarked.
Thanks to outstanding bowling performances by Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan by an exciting eight runs in their Asia Cup match on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. With two victories, one defeat, and four points, the Litton Das-led team maintained its second-place standing in the group with this victory. Since it will determine their fate in the tournament, they will be watching the Afghanistan vs. Sri Lanka match with great anticipation.
With two victories in as many games, Sri Lanka is in first place in the group. The Net Run Rate (NRR) will be used to determine the standings if Afghanistan defeats Sri Lanka in the last Group B match, giving all three teams two victories apiece.
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