Dubai [UAE], September 18 : Afghanistan men's cricket team head coach Jonathan Trott praised the Indian team, stating they are one of the favourites in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup.
While speaking to ANI, Jonathan Trott said, "Every team that India puts out nowadays always has a very good side. Asia Cup in these conditions, we saw them in the Champions Trophy here 50 over. It would be foolish not to say they are one of the favourites."
India started their Asia Cup campaign on a high note, winning both their group stage matches against the UAE and Pakistan. They secured convincing victories, defeating the UAE by nine wickets and Pakistan by seven wickets, batting second in both encounters.
Trott also lauded Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and believes the captaincy role has added extra responsibility to his shoulders.
"I think Suryakumar Yadav is a fantastic player, obviously, as he's captain now. So it's an extra added responsibility, so I look forward to seeing how he goes with that leadership role," he added.
Afghanistan all-rounder Gulbadin Naib heaped praise on Team India, calling them the best side in Asia as well as the world. Having shared the dressing room with Indian players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Naib said he has always enjoyed learning from them.
"India is the best team in Asia and in the world, you get to learn a lot from these boys," Naib told ANI.
Earlier, in an excellent exhibition of spin and some fantastic death overs bowling by Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh scored a nail-biting eight-run win over Afghanistan in their Asia Cup clash at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
With this win, Bangladesh retain their second spot in the group with two wins and a loss, a total of four points. Sri Lanka is at the top with two wins in two matches. With a win and a loss each, Afghanistan stays at the third spot. If Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka in the final Group B clash, all three teams would have two wins each, with things coming down to net run rate.