While India will aim for their sixth Asia Cup title, Bangladesh will play for their maiden continental silverware.
It is a pity that an insulting morphed Mahendra Singh Dhoni image has made all the news for a couple of days, but there is a lot more to the Asia Cup final at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday. Bangladesh's rising stature in international cricket can be gauged from the fact that the Indian skipper refused to take their opponents lightly while pointing out that the Bangla tigers can surprise anyone in the own backyard.
With players like Al-Amin-Hossain, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar ably supporting their seniors, the green brigade is definitely a team to beat at home. On the other hand, the Men in Blue have been on an all time high, winning nine of their last 10 T20Is. Dhoni who had earlier led his team to Asia Cup glory in 2010, has a golden opportunity to add brownie points to his envious CV while his boys, by securing this silverware, can take their confidence to sky level just before the World T20 back home.
Here's the impact that a few selected players from both sides can have on the summit clash:
INDIA
Virat Kohli (95%)
Such has been the dominance of Virat in this tournament that jokes are doing rounds that the Indian Test captain should be given the man of the match award before any match! Virat, like his previous exploits, has proved that he can single-handedly carry the responsibility of his team under any situation. If Bangladesh can get his wicket early, then they can unnerve an untested lower middle order and topple the star-studded line up. On the other hand, Kohli can adjust his game according to the need and that's what makes him India's most likely hero for the final.
Rohit Sharma (90%)
With 137 runs from four matches, Rohit is India's highest run-getter in this tourney. Add to that two man of the match awards, and you can't ignore the Hitman of Indian cricket. In the tourney's opening game against Bangladesh, Rohit's 83-run knock helped India to a comfortable victory and it is imperative that Dhoni depends more on him than Dhawan to get them off to a flier. The right hander's 28-ball-39 versus UAE has set him up nicely for a final onslaught. Time will tell what's in store for us.
Ashish Nehra (87%)
He may look a bit shabby while running between the wickets or fielding at third man, but when he makes that daunting run towards the batsman during his delivery stride, Nehra can put a Rolls Royce to shame. Regular strikes from the Delhiite during the power play overs has taken the steam out of all the teams in this current event and if Nehra manages to get one or two batsmen in the final, then Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya can follow up the good work.
BANGLADESH
Mahmudullah (93%)
With four wickets and 88 important runs down the order, Mohammad Mahmudullah is Bangladesh's most valuable player. Mahmudullah known for his breezy knocks up the order has been assigned a new role by the Bangladesh management - that is, to get the team home by playing in the lower middle order. The all rounder has responded in the best possible way. Unbeaten scores of 36, 23 and 22 are testimony to the fact that he can be the man who can the turn the final on its head in a few overs.
Sabbir Rahman (90%)
When Bangladesh was struggling at 26-3 against Sri Lanka in a must win game, this 24-year old put his hand up and performed exquisitely, scoring 80 off 54 balls. This helped them to put up a target of 148 for the Lankans and the hosts finally emerged victorious by 23 runs. With his ability to play the swinging ball and nudge the spinners for handy runs, Bangladesh's highest run scorer (144) of the tournament can pose serious trouble for Indian bowlers while his part time off-spin can keep the Kohlis and Yuvrajs on their toes.
Tamim Iqbal (80%)
He may have been out of the game for a long time, he may have scored just seven runs in his comeback game against Pakistan, he may not be in his best form, but when it's Tamim Iqbal, there can always be an aggressive match-changing knock around the corner. The left-hander had taken paternity leave and it was only after Mustafizur Rahaman's injury that he was inducted in the squad, but how many times does a genuine bowler get replaced by a batsman? That's the effect of Tamim and for this reason, the management has backed him to the hilt. There was one moment of magic in Bangladesh's last game when Tamim flicked Mohammad Amir for a delightful six and if some of those shots start coming, the south paw will become a dangerous batsman to handle.
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