Asia Cup: India the favourites? Pakistan captain Salman Agha says 'not really'

NEW DELHI: Pakistan captain Salman Agha didn’t hold back when asked whether he planned to impose restrictions on his fast bowlers showing aggression on the field, particularly against India, in the upcoming Asia Cup starting Tuesday. The tournament opener will feature Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.India begin their campaign on September 10 against hosts UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, with the high-voltage clash against arch-rivals Pakistan scheduled for September 14 at the same venue."Fast bowlers are naturally aggressive, and you can’t take that away from them — that’s what drives them. Whoever wants to show that aggression on the field is free to do so, as long as it stays within the spirit of the game. From my side, there are no restrictions," Agha said at the pre-tournament press conference.Reflecting on Pakistan’s recent Tri-Series, he added: "The Tri-Series was a build-up event. If you won it, great. If not, it still didn’t change the fact that the real goal was to come here, play good cricket, and win the Asia Cup."The skipper also spoke about the team’s mindset heading into the competition. "As a team, we’re playing good cricket, and we’re really looking forward to this tournament. Everyone is very excited," Agha said.India remain the most successful side in Asia Cup history, having lifted the trophy a record eight times. In the 2023 edition, India thrashed Sri Lanka in the final to secure their eighth title. Under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, they will be chasing their ninth crown this year.Agha, however, stressed that no team can be labelled as outright favourites. "I don’t think there’s really a favourite. In T20 cricket, anything can change within an hour or two. On any given day, you just have to play good cricket," he said.