Mumbai, Mar 10: India’s 15-man squad left early this morning to take part in the Asia Cup which begins on Sunday, March 11. This is the 11th edition of the tournament, which will also feature Sri Lanka and Pakistan alongside hosts Bangladesh.
India, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in this tournament, have won the Asia Cup on five previous occasions – a record for any team in the competition. India are also the defending champions of the competition, having won the 2010 edition of the Asia Cup that was played in Sri Lanka. Pakistan have won the competition only once, in 2000, while Sri Lanka have finished as champions of the ODI event in 1986, 1997, 2004 and 2008 respectively.
The 2012 Asia Cup gets underway with Bangladesh taking on Pakistan on March 11. India will then play Sri Lanka on March 13 after which they will clash with the hosts on March 16. The clash between archrivals India and Pakistan is scheduled for March 18 with the final being played on March 22. Between those games, Sri Lanka will play Pakistan and Bangladesh on March 15 and 20 respectively. All matches are day/night affairs and will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
After getting eliminated in the league stage of the recent CB series competition in Australia, ODI world champions India will look to bounce back by successfully defending their title in the Asia Cup. India’s opening encounter against Sri Lanka will also provide the Men in Blue an opportunity to settle scores with the team that qualified for the CB series finals at their expense.
