Bangladesh sealed progression to their third successive Asia Cup final after seeing off Pakistan in their final Super Four match.
India’s final match of the Super Four stage was a deadrubber against Afghanistan that ended in a tie. They had already qualified after beating Pakistan for the second time in three days.
India v Bangladesh | Friday, 29 September | Dubai International Stadium | 13:30
To Win Match
India 21/100
Tie 35/1
Bangladesh 7/2
India
India have been, by far, the best team at the tournament, but have not been so dominant that an upset against Bangladesh is beyond the realm of possibility.
Rohit Sharma was rested against Afghanistan, allowing Mahendra Singh Dhoni to captain the ODI side for the 200th time. Rohit is expected to return for the final and his partnership with Shikhar Dhawan could be the most key.
If Dhawan and Rohit bat together for the bulk of the innings, Bangladesh will be hard pressed to keep up with India.
The injuries suffered across the India squad have had a silver lining in the return to form of Ravindra Jadeja in ODI cricket. Adding Jadeja to the quartet of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has proven to be a winning combination.
The crucial question of which middle-order batsmen India takes forward is no closer to being resolved. Lokesh Rahul and Ambati Rayudu posted 50s against Afghanistan, but did so opening the batting. Dinesh Karthik has been solid, but unspectacular, throughout the tournament, while Dhoni has been short on runs and time in the middle.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh will be sweating on the fitness of key middle-order man and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim. He injured his calf during the win over Pakistan – a game he helped win with a score of 99.
The Tigers have already lost stars Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan – and without Mushfiqur their batting doesn’t have much of a spine.
Mohammad Mithun has found a way to contribute at key moments, but he has made his most significant runs batting with Mushfiqur.
Mustafizur Rahman and Mehedi Hasan will be the Tigers’ great hope of making early in-roads into the powerful India batting lineup to equalise the contest.
Liton Das has endured a terrible run opening the batting and, while deputising as wicketkeeper, dropped a straightforward chance against Pakistan. If he gets another chance in the final, he will need to make the most of it.
Verdict: India 21/100
India are the only team to have really come to terms with the surfaces on offer in the UAE – and should have enough left in the tank to put Bangladesh away again.
