The scars of the 1-4 defeat to England will not have any bearings on India’s performance in the Asia Cup said former India captain Sourav Ganguly while announcing that like every edition, India will be the favourites of the tournament.
India's recent form is not the only concern. The defending champions are without their regular captain Virat Kohli, who has been rested after a gruelling England tour. But Ganguly believes stand-in captain Rohit Sharma has it in him to lead Inda to glory.
"India could not do that well in England but in limited overs they are a top side. The team is much stronger with Virat but Rohit has a very good record as captain so I expect him to do well too. They are capable of winning (the Asia Cup)," said Ganguly, who is also the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
The likes of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu have been included for the Asia Cup beginning in UAE on Saturday.
All eyes will be on 37-year-old MS Dhoni who drew flak for his slow innings during India's 1-2 loss in the ODI series in England.
India are the most successful team in the Asia Cup, having won six of the 13 editions of the tournament, including the only time it was played in the Twenty20 format, in 2016, making them the defending champions.
They won the inaugural competition in 1984, and then in 1988, 1990-91, 1995 and 2010 before the last one.
India begin their campaign against Hong Kong on September 18 before the marquee clash against Pakistan the next day.