Asia Cup 2018: Super 4, Match 1, India vs Bangladesh, Preview- Can the underdogs defy the odds to conquer the Men in Blue?

As far as records and numbers are concerned, the odds are heavily stacked against Bangladesh.

Published - 20 Sept 2018, 17:22 IST | Updated - 20 Sept 2018, 17:22 IST

3 Min Read

India didn’t have an overwhelming start to their campaign of the 2018 Asia Cup despite the fact that they emerged triumphant by 26 runs against Hong Kong at Dubai International Cricket. The same was for the reason that their bowlers strained to make inroads into their opponent’s batting lineup for the first 34 overs. However, the Men in Blue came into their own against Pakistan.

At what was deemed to be Pakistan’s home ground, Rohit Sharma’s men didn’t look flustered by any stretch of the imagination and comprehensively brushed their arch-rivals aside by eight wickets. Bangladesh also had an impressive run thus far in the multi-nation event. However, Mashrafe Mortaza and Co are required to play out of their skins in order to get the better of India.

Their clash is scheduled to take place tomorrow in Dubai in the Super 4 stage of the six-nation extravaganza. Barring in 2012, India have got the Tigers on the mat every other time in the multi-nation tournament. As far as records and numbers are concerned, the odds are heavily stacked against Bangladesh, but the Men in Blue would be aware of the firepower they possess.

Team Combination

India

India will make one change in the form of Hardik Pandya, who has been ruled out of the event, with another all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have been in decent enough form. Dinesh Karthik and Ambati Rayudu also had an impressive run thus far with the willow and would be keen to replicate their form in the upcoming encounter as well.

The lower middle-order hasn’t had a go thus far in the event, especially MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav, who can be game-changers on their day. Jadeja hasn’t played limited-overs cricket for over a year and he would want to make an impact on his return. The bowling department has Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah with the wrist-spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

Predicted XI

Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Bangladesh

The Tigers rested wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman from the last match and they are likely to return against India. In that scenario, Abu Hider and Nazmul Hossain will retain their position while Mominul Haque will have to sit out. Nazmul and Liton Das are the openers with the experience of Shakib Al Hasan coming at number three.

Rahim and Mahmudullah are the fulcrums in the middle-order and with Mohammad Mithun in prime form the batting lineup looks a power-packed one, to say the least. The likes of Mosaddek Hossain and Mehidy Hasan add depth to the batting. Mustafizur Rahman and Mashrafe Mortaza are likely to share the new cherry. Rubel Hossain is the other fast bowler in the lineup.

Predicted XI

Liton Das, Nazmul Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

Players to watch out for

Kedar Jadhav- India

The Maharashtra-born player hasn’t got an opportunity with the willow, but he didn’t flatter to deceive by any means with his part-time off-breaks. On a number of instances, he has churned out some priceless wickets for his team as the opponents have strained against him. It will be a challenge for the Bangladeshi batsmen to counter his guile and trajectory.

Mushfiqur Rahim- Bangladesh

The Bogra-born cricketer played a herculean knock against Sri Lanka and looked a class apart from his counterparts. However, he was rested in the previous match for the reason that he developed a rib injury. The 31-year-old has played well against India in limited-overs cricket and the player is again expected to be a vital cog in their setup.