Asia Cup 2018, Final, India vs Bangladesh: Preview and Predicted Playing XI
Bangladesh will be looking to claim their first-ever Asia Cup title when they face the defending champions India in the final of Asia Cup 2018 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 16. Both teams have played 33 ODIs against each other with the Indians comprehensively leading the scoreline 28-5.
They will be going head-to-head in the second consecutive Asia Cup final . The ndians recorded a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over the Tigers in the 2016 edition final, which was played in the T20 format.
While in their most recent clash on September 21, the Men in Blue once again inflicted a heavy defeat on Bangladesh. After opting to field first, India wrapped up the Tigers innings for 173 and then knocked off their target inside 37 overs.
Now both teams find themselves in another title clash as they aim to be Asian champions. So one may expect both teams to come out blazing in order to get their hands on prestigious trophy.
India
They will be going into the final of the Asia Cup undefeated. After winning their first four matches of the tournament in a row, they tied their last game against Afghanistan. Barring that game and their campaign opener against Hong Kong, India have had comprehensive victories in their remaining three matches and despite the middle order chinks, they are expected to successfully carry out their title defence.
Batting: The opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma hold the key to India's batting. Both these batsmen have shown sublime form in this Asia Cup and they are expected to take the Men in Blue off to yet another solid start. Dhawan is leading the runs charts with 327 runs and skipper Rohit follows him with 269 runs.
The Indians will also bank on the likes of Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik, who have also chipped in with fine contributions. Their only concern will be MS Dhoni, who is not looking in the best of form. The former skipper will be eager to make a comeback and guide India to another triumph.
Bowling: Jasprit Bumrah is the third best bowler in the tournament with seven wickets in three matches and he is likely to rattle Bangladesh's top-order early on. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav have also proved their worth throughout the tournament having picked up seven wickets each. These two will be the skipper's go-to bowlers in the middle overs.
Expected Playing XI : Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Bangladesh
After losing to Afghanistan and India in back-to-back games, Bangladesh have managed to gain some momentum with wins in their last two matches against Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively. They would have been pleased with their bowling performance in the last game as they managed to defend a moderate total of 239 with ease.
Batting: Mushfiqur Rahim, with 297 runs in four matches is the tournament's next-best batsman after Shikhar Dhawan. He is coming off a magnificent 99 against Pakistan and the skipper will hope that key man is able to replicate his performance in the big final against India.
Except him, Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah have also had good hits in this Asia Cup and Bangladesh's middle-order relies heavily on the duo. While Imrul Kayes scored an unbeaten 72 against Afghanistan, the the team will need all of them to come out blasting and post a huge total against India, else it will be very difficult for conquer the fascinating Indian lineup.
Bowling: In this department, the Tigers have a formidable lineup in Mustafizur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Mehidy Hasan. All of them have capability to thrash any batting unit on their day and these are likely to trouble the Men in Blue in the final.
Mustafizur is the tournament's second-most successful bowler with eight wickets in four games. His four-wicket haul against Pakistan swung the match in his team's favour. While Mashrafe has taken five wickets so far and is expected to lead from the front, Mehidy Hasan too has an outstanding economy rate of 3.27 and he could build pressure on India by slipping in a few quiet overs.
Expected Playing XI: Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Imrul Kayes and Mahmudullah.