“If Team India doesn't win Asia Cup…” - Ex-Indian coach makes a stunning statement

Former Team India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has revealed that the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, isn’t just a title contender in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, but they also entered the showpiece event as the T20 World Champions, having won the World Cup last year.

Speaking exclusively on Sony Sports Network, Nayar also felt that if the Indian team doesn’t win the eight-team continental event, there is something that’s definitely going wrong, adding that the current squad looks very strong.

"I won't call them (Team India) contenders, they are coming after becoming champions. The kind of squad they have and the way they are playing in this format, this tournament is for them to lose. If they don't win this tournament, there is something that's gone wrong," he said on Sony Sports Network.

"The squad strength we have and the way our spinners bowled in the last match, I will always believe that if you are bowling well, winning the championship becomes easy. So it's India's tournament to lose," he added.

Also, Nayar stressed up on India’s comfortable nine-wicket win against the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, in their first Asia Cup 2025 game in Dubai on Wednesday, September 10. He also talked about India’s decision to bowl first in the team’s campaign opener.

"You were expecting India to win easily, but probably not this easily. There was a thought process about whether you could have bowled in tougher conditions, whether you could have batted first, just as an experiment, because you will be playing against Pakistan on the 14th," he stated.

"So, as a precursor, would you have wanted to understand the conditions? However, Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir had the thought process of playing to win and finishing the match as early as they could. So, a little too easy. A little challenge would have been good because I always believe preparation is only when it's hard," he concluded.

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