Asia Cup Final: Confident India Hold Edge over Bangladesh

Indian-team
Dhoni and his men will start as favorites against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup final.

Mirpur: A confident India will be taking on a passionate Bangladesh team in the quest for continental supremacy in the final of the Asia Cup here on Sunday. India will start as overwhelming favorites on paper against Moshraffe Mortaza and his team. The men in blue are ranked at the top in ICC T20 ranking compared to Bangladesh, who is placed at the 10th spot. The Indians are on a role having won 9 out of their last 10 T20 matches including the thumping it handed over to the hosts in the first match of the Asia Cup.

Also in favor for the Indian team is there are no major injury woes going into the final while the hosts will be without their key weapon Mustafizur Rahman. The promising Bangladeshi fast bowler who has given the Indians a real testing time recently will be out with a Grade I side strain.

But it counts for little in the shortest format, wherein the complexion of the game can change in a matter of one over. A master plot always has sub-plots and this final will be no different. There will be little testing battles, which promise to make it an intriguing summit clash.

Whether it is Tamim Iqbal’s flamboyance against Jasprit Bumrah’s surprise element or young Soumya Sarkar’s cavalier approach against Ashish Nehra’s years of experience, there are enough ingredients for a heady battle.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s guile against Sabbir Rahaman’s conventional yet dangerously attacking batsmanship or Rohit Sharma’s artistry against Taskin Ahmed’s youthful exuberance can also be a spectator’s delight.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be looking at a bigger picture as the Asian title will mark the perfect preparation before the ICC World Twenty20 at home.

His opposite number Mashrafe Mortaza is not at all looking that far ahead as an Asian title will mean a watershed moment for T20 cricket in the country and a solid boost before they face the Netherlands and Ireland in the qualifying round of the marquee event in picturesque Dharamsala.

And with the hostile crowd chanting for the home team, it will not be an easy job for Dhoni and his men when Mortaza’s boys try to put them under the pump in a floodlit Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

For Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli — playing a big final is not new. They have been there and done that before.

For Mashrafe, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, the taste of a title win is something alien. They came very near to it in 2012 when Pakistan crossed the final hurdle as Mahmudullah Riyadh choked in the final overs.

The same Mahmudullah is a ‘man of big occasions’ for Bangladesh as he has more than redeemed himself with that boundary off Anwar Ali to take his team to the final.

But then, no one remembers the second best and Dhoni knows that too well. He will leave no stone unturned to emerge victorious before embarking on his journey to reclaim the World T20 trophy.

Both teams have done well in the tournament but India has looked the most complete side and in skipper’s words, “a balanced side with all bases covered.”

After giving the reserve bench an opportunity, India are expected to be bring back their usual playing XI.

Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Nehra will come back and take their places in the playing XI.

Bangladesh on the other hand is expected to retain the XI that played against Pakistan, the other night. In absence of Mustafizur, it is expected that the home team will go with two spinners. Arafat Sunny, who took two crucial wickets against Pakistan, is expected to keep his place in the side.