Asia Cup: Bumrah could be rested against Oman in only change

Dubai: The Indian team management is unlikely to tinker with its playing XI for the inconsequential final group league Asia Cup game against Oman except for resting pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah here on Friday.

With the Super Four fixtures lined up on September 21, 24 and 26, followed by the final on September 28, tournament favourites India could end up playing four matches in seven days if they qualify for the title clash.

The team management knows the importance of keeping their premier fast bowler fresh for the demanding stretch ahead.


Whether Bumrah himself wants to skip the game is not known, but the call is expected to be pragmatic as it's better to have him fully charged for the business end of the tournament rather than risking him in a dead rubber.

In that scenario, either Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana is likely to step in, with the former having the added incentive of being within touching distance of reaching 100 T20I wickets.

On the batting front, the top and middle order would welcome more time at the crease in match situations.

India's first two outings, against UAE and Pakistan, were too one-sided and a proper hit-out against Oman could help them sharpen their game before they run into trickier opponents like Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours.