New Delhi: Spinners will once again be at the forefront of action when India face Bangladesh in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Wednesday.
Reigning T20I champions India are the team to beat in the tournament having routed arch-rivals Pakistan twice and enjoy a 16-1 head-to-head record against Bangladesh in the format.
India might be the far superior team on paper but tense diplomatic relations add a new dimension to the contest after a postponed white-ball series.
For Bangladesh to put up a fight, their spinners must be on top of their game against the stroke-filled Indian batting line-up.
Abhishek the man of the moment
Abhishek Sharma’s free-flowing hitting is well complemented by the compact batting of opening partner Shubman Gill. In comparison, Bangladesh batters neither have that range of hitting ability nor are in scintillating form.
Bangladesh must significantly increase their power game to pack a punch against the potent three-pronged Indian spin attack, as without enough runs on the board their bowlers would be at the mercy of Sharma and others.
In Mustafizur Rahmab, Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib, they have three decent front-line seamers, though they don’t have express pace or swing to run through the opposition.
This a comprehensive team effort is needed from Bangaldessh to make a match out of the contest as India would think of continuation of their awesome form.
Teams (from):
India – Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Bangladesh – Litton Das (captain, wicketkeeper), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin.
Match Starts: 8pm IST
Live on Sony Sports Network and SonyLiv app