Asia Cup Final 2018- India vs Bangladesh: 4 factors which could determine the fate of the match
India are going to face Bangladesh in the final of the Asia Cup on 28th September in Abu Dhabi. India have been the most impressive team in the tournament and managed to win all but one of their matches so far. Bangladesh also continue to improve as a team and have only lost one match in the tournament. They knocked out Pakistan in the last Super Four match on Wednesday to qualify for the final.
India will definitely start as the favorites for the final, but Bangladesh are no pushovers at all. In fact, it should be a competitive match and Bangladesh will fancy their chances against a complacent Indian side. India could not win their match against Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be bolstered by that fact.
We look at the four crucial factors which might determine the fate of tomorrow’s match:
#1 Toss
India have batted second in most of the matches in this tournament so far and might not find it easy if they are to defend a target in the final. India have had a great record of successful run chases in the recent past and would rely on their formidable batting line-up to chase down yet another total in the final.
However, having runs on the board definitely puts considerable pressure on the opposition in a critical match and very few batsmen enjoy batting second in the final match of a tournament. If Bangladesh wins the toss, they would definitely like to bat first and put runs on the board. Any total in excess of 250 is going to a challenging one and Bangladesh have the batting depth to go past that magic figure.
However, if India win the toss, they would have to decide whether they should keep faith on their batsmen to chase down a target or adhere to the convention of batting first after winning the toss in a final. Fatigue could be yet another factor as it is not easy for any side to bat after having fielded for 50 overs in the hot and humid conditions of Abu Dhabi. It could actually be a good toss to lose for either side.