India without Virat Kohli would not be the same, but stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma is capable of guiding the defending champions to their seventh title triumph at the Asia Cup in the UAE, former captain Sourav Ganguly said on Friday. The six-nation ODI tournament—involving India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong—starts on Saturday with Sri Lanka taking on Bangladesh at 5.00PM IST.
Kohli had been rested for the Asia Cup following a gruelling England tour that concluded with a 1-4 loss in the Tests for India.
The likes of Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu have been included in the Indian team for the Asia Cup.
All eyes will be on 37-year-old M.S. Dhoni who drew flak for his slow batting during India's 1-2 loss in the ODI series in England.
"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).
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 Asia Cup competition in 1984, and then in 1988, 1990-91, 1995 and 2010 before the last one.
India begin their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong on September 18 before the marquee clash against Pakistan the next day.
