India will look for a winning start in the Super Four.
Pakistan pummelled, India will look to up the ante against Bangladesh, who have a penchant for playing the party poopers, in their opening Super Four encounter of the Asia Cup here Friday. For India, the worry will be the team combination as Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the tournament owing to back spasms, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar might be rested after back-to-back games against Hong Kong and Pakistan. The pull-outs of Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur further compounded India's injury woes.
How to watch India vs Bangladesh match:
Bangladesh will like to pull themselves up after a crushing defeat against Afghanistan orchestrated by birthday boy Rashid Khan. Bangladesh has the fire power, but India has the pedigree to overcome the Tigers. The fans will be looking for a close affair after couple of one sided matches in the Asia Cup.
Here's the live commentary for the match
Here are some of the factors that will determine the fate of the match.
1. All eyes on Bangla batting
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Bangladesh batting failed to live up to the expectation of fans and critics alike against Afghanistan. They struggled to stitch together any respectable partnership getting bundled out for 119 runs only.
Now, the Bangla Tigers need to get past the last match as a bad dream and have to take on mighty Indians with vigour. They don't have much time to ruminate over last night's loss thanks to crazy scheduling.
The man who can deliver the goods for Bangladesh is Mushfiqur Rahim. His ton ensured Bangla win over Sri Lanka in their first match at Asia Cup. He has also an admirable record against India and will need to be at his best for the Tigers to upset the formidable Indians.
In absence of Tamim Iqbal, another man with prolific record against the Indians, Mushfiqur's job is even more crucial. He alongside Shakib has to ensure that the boys stick to their plan, and don't try to take too many chances too early against a quality Indian bowling attack.
(Image courtesy PTI)
2. Will India get its combination right?
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Indian players are falling like nine-pins with three injured in the last week. India have drafted in three replacements including the veteran Ravindra Jadeja who is all set to play in place of Hardik Pandya, who collapsed dramatically during the last match against Pakistan.
India is also likely to draft in Manish Pandey in place of Dinesh Karthik. But the big question is Khalil Ahmed, who had an impressive debut will get a chance or not. Bangladesh players are known for playing spin well. Hence India may fancy playing a fast bowler who can soften up the Bangla boys with some firepower.
(Image courtesy AFP)
3. Can Mustafizur deliver the goods?
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The last time Bangladesh defeated India in an international match was way back in 2015, when Mustafizur Rahman made his debut. Since then, Bangla boys have tested Indians but hasn't managed to cross the lines in 9 occasions. The match-up between Mustafizur and Indian openers is likely to be a riveting affair. If he can get rid of the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan early, Bangladesh will be in with more than a decent chance to make a match out of it.
Else, Indian batting line up may prove to be too good even with Bangladesh boasting of quality bowlers.
(Image courtesy AFP)
4. Can Bangladesh beat stress
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Not only do Bangaldesh have to fight against India, but also battle against fatigue. They are playing back to back matches inside 24 hours in a different city! With recovery time so less, one wonders whether jaded bodies and mind will lead to tired performance. Especially after the crushing defeat against Afghanistan, Bangladeshi moral will be low and will face India who had their best win ever (in terms of number of balls left) against Pakistan.
So the odds are stacked against Bangladesh. But in cricket, anything can happen, especially when there is a bunch of spirited cricketers.
(Image courtesy AFP)
5. The form of MS Dhoni
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MS Dhoni got out for a duck in the first match against Hong Kong and didn't get a bat in the second encounter. By his own high standards, Dhoni had a silent England tour. He has also dropped a couple of catches in this tournament. Hence MS Dhoni's form is a bit of a concern, espescially with Kohli not in the mix. Couple of early wickets will mean Bangladesh putting pressure on Indian middle order and there is where Dhoni's role is crucial. His presence will be a calming influence for the likes of Jadhav and Rayadu, not to mention his legendary power of finishing matches. Bangladesh will like to see the back of Dhoni as quickly as possible if they want to harbour any chance of winning this match.
(Image courtesy AFP)
