(MENAFN- Gulf Times) India 'A skipper Jitesh Sharma and rival captain Irfan Khan of Pakistan feel a total of '160' would be par score at the Asia Cup Rising Stars cricket tournament which starts today.
Pakistan open their campaign at the eight-team T20 tournament for emerging players in Asia with a match against Oman today.
Also today, India 'A' will take on the UAE in the second match of the day at West End Stadium in Asia Town. Defending champions Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and Bangladesh complete the roster at the 10-team tournament being staged in Doha for the first time by Qatar Cricket Association (QCA).
“We have got some data from the games already played here, and most of the scores have been around 150–160,” Sharma, who has played 12 T20Is for India, said Thursday.“So, based on that, we are preparing and assuming that these wickets will play like typical Asian wickets,” the 32-year-old added.
“But you know T20 is an uncertain game – you never know what you are going to face, you just have to react. We want to go with the flow and see how the wickets behave, but at the back of our minds we know that the pitches might be quite challenging if scores are around 150–160,” he added.
When asked if teams with stronger batting or stronger bowling line-ups would dominate in Doha, Sharma said:“I think batsmen win you games, but bowlers win you tournaments – that's what I believe. Whichever team bowls well will have the best chance to win the tournament. We are blessed to have a very good support staff, media team and video analysts.”
Pakistan skipper Khan, just 22, said his team have also studied the playing conditions in Doha where the opening match will be played during day time today.
“We have adequate information on the conditions here. We plan according to our opposite number. You will see our performances when we reach the ground. We feel 160-170 runs is a good target to defend. If you bowl well, you can defend easily,” Khan, who has played 9 ODIs and 14 T20Is for Pakistan, said Thursday.
Khan said his team is raring to go with roles clearly defined for each of the players of the squad.
“I feel I don't have to boss around like a captain because the players around me know their roles well. They take responsibility well. I don't have to guide them all the time as all of them are keen to do well and the atmosphere around the dressing room is really good. You will see good results,” Khan added.
“We have good combinations in batting, bowling and even fielding is good,” he added.
When asked about the India-Pakistan clash on Sunday, Khan said Thursday:“Right now we are only looking at the match on Friday (against Oman). We don't have pressure. We have faith in our abilities. We let our instincts take over when the match starts.”
India 'A' skipper Sharma added:“We are not looking at any particular match. All three league matches are important and then hopefully the semi-final and the final. We should respect all the opponents and play fair cricket.”
Sri Lanka captain Dunith Wellalage said Thursday:“We came here after finishing as runners-up last time, so we know what it takes to go deep in a tournament. The conditions in Qatar are quite similar to what we have at home, and that gives us confidence. We have a group of experienced players and a strong support staff. Our focus is simple: cut down on mistakes, trust our plans, and try to deliver our best in every game.”
Wellalage, who has played 1 Test and 31 ODIs for Sri Lanka, added:“I have been playing with most of these boys since the Under-19 level for more than three years, so the understanding in the team is very good. Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Madushka, Nuwanindu Fernando, Sahan Arachchige – all of them are experienced and I am sure we will get good support from them. Every team here is a challenge and we respect all our opponents, but we believe in our squad. The environment is really good, we have been given an excellent ground to train on, and we want to make full use of these conditions.”
“I am grateful to the Asian Cricket Council and to Qatar for hosting this event,” the 22-year-old Sri Lankan captain said.
Sensational Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 14-year-old Indian left-handed batsman, is also part of the India 'A' squad.
The prodigious talent, who plays domestic cricket for Bihar and represents the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, achieved a historic debut in the T20 franchise league this year by becoming its youngest player.
Suryavanshi further etched his name in the record books by smashing a 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans, making him the youngest and fastest Indian centurion in the competition's history.
UAE captain Alishan Sharafu said at a press conference Thursday:“I think we've got a relatively young bunch of boys in this side you know with lots of talent and you know they're all super excited to be here and most of them, having grown up in the UAE, grew up in diverse cultures. So we've never really looked at people coming from different places. And we're just proud to represent the UAE and hopefully have a good tournament here.”
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A: Afghanistan A, Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Hong Kong
Group B: India A, Pakistan Shaheens, UAE, Oman
Nov 14 - Oman vs Pakistan; India 'A' vs UAE
Nov 15 - Bangladesh vs Hong Kong; Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
Nov 16 - Oman vs UAE; India 'A' vs Pakistan
Nov 17 - Hong Kong vs Sri Lanka; Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
Nov 18 - Pakistan vs UAE; India 'A' vs Oman
Nov 19 - Afghanistan vs Hong Kong; Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
Nov 21 - Semi-finals: A1 vs B2; B1 vs A2
Nov 23 - Final
Venue: West End Stadium, Asian Town, DohaQatar Cricket Association Jitesh Sharma Asia Cup Rising Stars cricket tournament

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