When India were cruising at 72/0 at the end of the Powerplay, another cakewalk over Bangladesh looked to be on the cards. India did finally win Wednesday’s Super Four clash comprehensively by 41 runs in Dubai, but not before their batting group was asked a few questions.
The win also confirmed India’s place in the Asia Cup final on Sunday.
The Bangladesh bowlers restricted India to a below-par total of 168/6, but the skillset of the Indian bowling group, led by the supremely confident Kuldeep Yadav (3/18), ensured that overhauling the target was out of the question. Bangladesh also badly missed the services of their regular captain Litton Das, who is out with a side strain.
Kuldeep struck thrice without conceding a single boundary in his four-over spell, while his spin colleague Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah picked up two each, as India bowled Bangladesh out for 127 with three balls to spare.
India’s victory meant Sri Lanka were knocked out of the competition, while Thursday’s clash between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Dubai became a virtual semi-final.
In Sunday’s decider, India will be facing either Pakistan for the third time in the tournament or Bangladesh for the second time. No matter who they face, this win against Bangladesh was again a testament to India’s quality — miles ahead of the other teams from the subcontinent in terms of skills in all departments of the game.
To be fair to Bangladesh, they certainly fought back well through a neat fielding effort and tight bowling at the death to allow India just 96 off the next 14 overs following the onslaught from Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill in the Powerplay, after opting to bowl first. The inexplicable change in the batting order by promoting finisher Shivam Dube up at No.3 also had a part to play in breaking India’s momentum.
Fortunately for India, in Bangladesh’s run chase, barring opener Saif Hassan (69 off 51 balls), the others couldn’t pose any kind of threat to India. Hassan, too, was a beneficiary of three reprieves (on 40, 65 and 66) as India’s catching wasn’t good again. Is it due to the lights in the Dubai Stadium? The Indian team management will be able to answer that better.
Nonetheless, Abhishek’s innings and his opening partnership with Gill again made a big difference in the game. Dropped on seven by Bangladesh stand-in captain and keeper Jaker Ali, Abhishek didn’t take long to get into his groove.
Even Bangladesh’s white-ball specialist and their go-to bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, wasn’t spared the rod as Abhishek slammed him for two sixes in his first over, which earned India 17. Quite against the run of play, Abhishek’s innings was cut short by a brilliant effort from leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who also dismissed Gill and Dube.
Throwing himself on the left, Rishad grabbed the ball with one hand — which led to the confusion between skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Abhishek — got up quickly and sent down an accurate throw to Mustafizur to effect the India opener’s run out.