Dubai: India’s Asia Cup campaign till the final has been straight out of a highlight reel. Six matches, six wins. They’ve been relentless — a seven-wicket crushing of
Pakistan in the group stage, a six-wicket thrashing of the arch-rivals in the Super Fours, a 41-run dismantling of Bangladesh in the Super Fours, and a nerve-shredding Super Over escape against Sri Lanka.
Suryakumar Yadav’s men have been a blue juggernaut, sweeping aside all resistance.
Abhishek Sharma has given India blistering starts — his 74 off 39 balls against a hostile Pakistan attack remains one of the tournament’s standout innings — while
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel have been consistent with the ball.
Jasprit Bumrah was, as always, India’s banker in crunch overs. But behind the unbeaten streak lie some areas of concern that could yet influence the final — and India’s preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Fielding woes India’s catching and ground fielding have been below their usual standards. A handful of dropped chances against Bangladesh allowed Saif Hassan to make a significant 69, and Sri Lanka too benefitted from missed opportunities. India currently sit at the bottom of the catching-efficiency table among Asian teams — a statistic the team management will want to improve quickly. With 12 catches dropped — an efficiency rate of just 67.5 percent — they have the second lowest among all participating nations.
Leg-spinner Chakravarthy, who suffered the most from missed chances, stressed the need to make opportunities count, though he admitted that the stadium’s “ring of fire” can be distracting. “You can’t give excuses at this level. As a team, we definitely have to start holding on to those catches. But yes, if you ask me about the ring of fire — it does catch the eye,” Chakravarthy said.
Middle order still a work in progress While the openers have been somewhat reliable, the middle order has yet to find consistency. Tilak Varma,
Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube had good moments but didn’t put together a run of performances. Surya’s own batting has lacked fluency. The constant batting-order tinkering — SKY at No. 3, Dube at No. 5, Samson floating — has only deepened the confusion. When the openers fire, India look unbeatable. But when they don’t, things wobble. The flexibility mantra can work against lesser teams, but against top sides, it could backfire.
Samson, one of the most reliable openers in the shortest format, has been criminally underutilised to make room for Shubman Gill at the top of the order. Heading into the tournament, there was little clarity over the designated finisher’s role — and there were still no clear answers by the end of it. This lack of definition has only added pressure on the openers to provide a strong platform. Deeper chases, such as the 170-plus against Pakistan, have exposed this dependence.
Death-overs challenge India’s economy rate at the death — over 10 runs per over — was the highest in the tournament. The strategy to use three overs of Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplays left a huge hole. Arshdeep Singh (10.37) and Harshit Rana (11.28) were particularly expensive. If the team management opts for a similar combination going forward, they will need to find better ways to shore up this phase.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel acknowledged that the issue needs urgent attention. “In our environment, we want to move away from the excuse culture,” Morkel said. “The way these guys train, the effort they put in, we expect them to deliver every time. Game time is important — you can bowl as many overs in the nets as you like, but nothing beats the real thing. Right now, it’s not happening for some, but the bigger picture is the team is winning, and we back these players to deliver when it matters.”
A balanced picture India’s Asia Cup campaign has not been flawless. Fielding lapses, a still-shaky middle order, and expensive death overs are areas that could hurt them if left unaddressed. How the team think-tank handles these issues may be just as important as the result, with a T20 World Cup just a few months away.
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