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Oman- Asia Cup T20 final: Buoyant Bangladesh takes on gritty India


Date: 2016-03-06 02:50:31

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily)
India has an opportunity to lift the Asia Cup Twenty20 and live up to the World T20 favourites' billing but it won't be an easy ride against an improved Bangladesh which will have a boisterous home crowd behind it.

Neither side thinks this will be an uneven contest.

Though India beat Bangladesh soundly in the tournament opener it is aware of what its opponent is capable of at home especially after a series loss in June 2015. Bangladesh is aware of its own strength and there is an unmistakable confidence in its approach in T20s these days.

A win in the final would therefore be a watershed moment in this format for the hosts. India has been flawless in the tournament so far.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made the best of every opportunity in crunch moments while Yuvraj Singh is slowly coming into his own. Rohit steered India after a sluggish start against Bangladesh; Kohli weathered the Mohammad Amir storm against Pakistan; while Yuvraj was in his elements against Sri Lanka. All this has meant that M S Dhoni could face all of nine balls in the tournament while Suresh Raina hasn't had a major impact with the bat. The story with the ball isn't too different.

Bangladesh's Shakib al Hasan (right) attends a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday (AFP)

Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra have done the damage at the top while Hardik Pandya has played the role of a third seamer to his captain's liking. The spinners - R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja - have done what they usually do even though some of the surfaces they have played on haven't aided turn.

That Bangladesh finds itself in this position has been largely due to the effect its bowlers have had. Taskin Ahmed and Al Amin Hossain have stepped up while Shakib al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have given fine supporting acts in the last three wins.

The buzz

Bangladesh: Abu Hider has been given a lot of attention at training over the last two days. All indications then that he could be the surprise element in the Bangladesh bowling attack.

India: Without any injury concerns India is set to go back to its best XI after testing its bench against UAE. So Ravindra Jadeja Ashish Nehra and R Ashwin will slot back in for Pawan Negi Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harbhajan Singh.

Key players
Shakib al Hasan: Every move of Hasan is being followed with bated breath in Bangladesh since he walked off with a limp at training following a bruise on his right hip on Friday. Concerns have been raised over his batting form as well.

Ashish Nehra: He has taken at least one wicket in the powerplay in the last seven T20s. His late swing and control with the new ball has given India's bowling a new dimension. He will once again be a vital cog in Dhoni's scheme of things.

Teams
Bangladesh (likely): Tamim Iqbal Soumya Sarkar Sabbir Rahman Mushfiqur Rahim Shakib al Hasan Mahmudullah Nasir Hossain/Mohammad Mithun Mashrafe Mortaza (capt) Al Amin Hossain Arafat Sunny/Abu Hider Taskin Ahmed.

India (likely): Shikhar Dhawan Rohit Sharma Virat Kohli Suresh Raina Yuvraj Singh M S Dhoni Hardik Pandya Ravindra Jadeja R Ashwin Ashish Nehra Jasprit Bumrah.

Match starts at 5.30pm Oman time.

Cricinfo


Muscat Daily

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