‘Rising Stars’: Why are India and Pakistan squads for Asia Cup in Qatar raising eyebrows?

The stars that we see on the international stage are prepared and polished at events and venues away from the spotlight, for example, the Asia Cup tournament.

The continental tournament has become one of the most vibrant cricket platforms anywhere in the world, with the Asian Cricket Council hosting some form of age-group tournament at least once a year.

The senior-team Asia Cup is a regular part of the international calendar, with teams in the region using it as preparation for the next major tournament; the Asia Cup flips between T20 and ODI formats depending on the format of the next ICC World Cup.

Below it are the ‘A’ team and the U19 tournaments.

This month, both the 'A' team – or ‘Rising Stars’ as it is called – and U19 Asia Cups take place in the Arabian Gulf region.

The U19 Asia Cup begins in Oman on Wednesday, while the Rising Stars Asia Cup will take place in Doha, Qatar, from November 19.

Why is Asia Cup in the news?

The low-profile 'Rising Stars' tournament has grabbed attention for the composition of the two main teams – India and Pakistan.

The Indian team includes T20 world champion and experienced international Abhishek Sharma, senior team vice-captain Tilak Varma and double IPL champion Rajat Patidar, who turned 33 this year.

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Other players such as Rinku Singh and Harshit Rana have considerable experience on the international stage, raising questions about the thinking behind putting them in a ‘rising’ team. Swashbuckling teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also in the team, although he can't be called experienced or a regular.

However, this year’s Asia Cup is a 50-over tournament; the ODI World Cup takes place next year in southern Africa. And the famous T20 players of the Indian team have hardly any experience in the one-day format, making their inclusion understandable. Especially if the Indian team management are hoping to check the suitability of the players going into a World Cup year.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have a different kind of issue. Four members of the current Pakistan ‘A’ team – Haider Ali, wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir and pacers Mohammad Hasnain and Akif Javed – were part of the 2019 'Emerging Teams' Asia Cup.

Pakistan won that tournament in Bangladesh, with Nazir named player of the final. Seven years later, they have returned to the Asia Cup as part of the 'Rising Stars' team.

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Apart from them, Pakistan have also included proven performers from recent clashes against India.

Middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz almost won the Asian Games T20 gold medal against India after hitting 96 off 51 balls in the title match in Japan.

Also, in the previous 50-over ‘A’ team Asia Cup, wrist spinner Sufyan Moqim picked up three wickets in the final as Pakistan defeated India by 128 runs in Sri Lanka.

Rising Stars Asia Cup squads

India ‘A’: Tilak Varma (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Shahbaz Ahmed, Vipraj Nigam, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshad Khan

Pakistan Shaheens: Abdul Samad (capt), Ahmed Daniyal, Danish Aziz, Farhan Yousuf, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Saad Masood, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Rohail Nazir (wk), Shahzaib Khan, Shamyl Hussain, Sufyan Moqim, Akif Javed