The 2022 Asia Cup T20 starts on Saturday. Meanwhile, India and Pakistan would collide on Sunday in Dubai. On the same note, Shane Watson has made a bold prediction regarding the match and tournament result.
The Asian cricket fraternity will be gripped in Twenty20 (T20) fever as the Asia Cup T20 2022 gets started on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While India happens to be the seven-time defending champion, defending the title would not be easy. It is set to get severe competition from the five other participating sides, including arch-rival Pakistan, as the two clash in their opening game at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The two are the extreme favourites of making it to the final. Meanwhile, former Australian all-rounder, Shane Watson has made a bold prediction regarding the game and tournament winner.
On the ICC Review Show, Watson said, "That first game will be very special to watch because Pakistan has full belief now that they can beat this Indian team. I think whoever wins that game will go on and win the Asia Cup. I've just got a feeling [it will be] India."
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"They've [India] got so much firepower through their batting order, so it's going to be hard to be able to contain them. My predicted winner is India. They're so strong, and depending on the conditions, they can adapt to them. So, I think India [is lifting the title]," added Watson.
However, when asked about Pakistan's chances, Watson did not entirely rule it out and reckoned, "I'm sitting on the fence a little bit! But, I think Pakistan has a chance to win that game because of the confidence they'd have got out of winning for the first time in a long time against India."
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"Their [Pakistan's] confidence is going to be flying high. India is hard to contain, especially their batting in particular. But Pakistan, and as I've always known playing against them when their confidence is high, they're nearly unstoppable. And, their confidence is high, now that they know they can beat India in a big tournament."