Asia Cup 2018, Super Four, Match 1 - India vs Bangladesh - India Predicted XI

Team India will face Bangladesh’s challenge in the first Super Four game in the ongoing Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates. A thumping win against Pakistan must’ve bolstered the confidence of the Men in Blue against the opponents who will be playing their second game in as many days. Moreover, they will have to travel to Dubai from Abu Dhabi after facing Afghanistan on Thursday.

As far as India are concerned, they have been jolted with an injury to Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar and Siddarth Kaul have been named their replacements and they will definitely have to change their winning combination. It will be interesting to see who will be included in the line-up for the all-important game and it goes without saying that Bangladesh are no more pushovers and possess a strong squad to beat any team in the world.

Here we bring you India’s predicted XI for this encounter:

Openers (Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan)

There is no doubt about this duo. Both of them looked in great form the other day against Pakistan and should continue giving the team good starts. Rohit spent some important time in the middle before unleashing his pull shots later. His quick-fire 36-ball half-century keeps him in good stead for this match and should enjoy batting in Dubai.

Shikhar Dhawan has looked in ominous touch ever since he has returned from England. He is relishing the conditions and should be keen on piling on the runs throughout the tournament. This combination at the top of the order will put any opposition under pressure and if these two get going, it might be a cakewalk for Team India.

Middle-Order (Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav)

The duo of Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik were exceptional in the last game. Though they weren’t chasing a big total after a good start, it was important for them to make sure that the team doesn’t suffer any more hiccups towards the target. Both of them looked assured at the crease and are making a good case for the number four spot. They will have to be consistent and will be tested against Bangladesh.

Kedar Jadhav’s golden arm worked for the Men in Blue against the arch-rivals as he ended up picking three wickets with the ball. He should bowl more overs in this game and with his slingy action, it is tough for the batsmen to hit him for runs. However, Kedar will have to be ready to bat as well in case the top three crumble. MS Dhoni didn’t get to bat and is yet to open his account in this Asia Cup after bagging a duck against Hong Kong.

All-Rounder (Ravindra Jadeja)

Here we can see a big change. The plethora of injury concerns has paved the way for Ravindra Jadeja to make a comeback to the Indian squad and he might walk back into the XI at number seven. Deepak Chahar is also a possibility but Jadeja provides a much better batting option. His left-arm spin bowling will not let the batsmen get away easily and this aspect makes him the X-factor in the team. He will be playing his first ODI since July last year.

Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved his worth when it mattered the most. The wickets of Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman early in the innings never let Pakistan settle in the game. With no swing on offer, Bhuvi adjusted his line and length immediately which reaped him rich rewards and ended up winning the Man of the Match award. Jasprit Bumrah is the champion bowler and he doesn’t need to justify his place in the side and with a couple of wickets in the previous game, he has warmed up for the upcoming challenge.

The spin-twins have so far looked brilliant with the teams struggling to pick the variations. Whenever they haven’t picked wickets, the run-scoring has been difficult which has tempted the batsmen to go against them. It will be interesting to see the kind of ploy Bangladesh will employ to not lose wickets in the middle overs.

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