Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Six-time champions v maiden appearance in a final. Seventh Asia Cup final appearance in a row v maiden appearance in a final. A rematch of arguably the best game of the tournament so far. This one has a nice backstory.
Bangladesh have made superb strides in this tournament, defeating two-time runners up Pakistan and six-time champions India. After being thrashed by Sri Lanka in their opening game, Bangladesh reaching the final would have been a long afterthought. However, on the back of some awesome individual performances, they are here, and I bet you they won’t back off without a fight.
In terms of India, well, it’s no surprise we see them in the final. However, what would work in their favour is handling the pressure of a virtual knock-out against Pakistan really well. They showed their might, restricting their arch-rivals to just 72/7, and with this being their seventh straight Asia Cup final, they will be quite difficult to beat.
Key to a India win
Can India imprint their status as the best team in Asia? Can they bully Bangladesh (cricket wise)?
These will be key questions ahead of the final. They will certainly be favourites, but the excellent performance against Pakistan will be a blueprint for success in the final.
India’s bowlers will want to hold Bangladesh down better than they did in their other meeting in this tournament. The team in blue are in good bowling form though, highlighted in all but Jhulan Goswami taking at least one wicket v Pakistan, led by Ekta Bisht’s awesome 3/14. Also, India have the batsmen to get on top of Bangladesh, so partnerships will be key in a pressure game.
Key to a Bangladesh win
What should give them a lot of heart is their performances in pressure situations in this tournament. This was evident most in the game against India, where Rumana Ahmed led Bangladesh to their first ever win over their opponents today.
The key for Bangladesh will be to play a fearless brand of cricket, not overawed by the occasion. Can they restrict the India batting line up, and forge enough partnerships to get sufficient runs on the board? These are the key questions.
Possible teams:
India XI: 1. M. Raj, 2. S Mandhana, 3. DB Sharma, 4. H Kaur (c), 5. AA Patil, 6. T Bhatia (wk) 7. E Bisht, 8. S Pandey, 9. P Yadav, 10. J Goswami, 11. V Krishnamurthy
Bangladesh XI: 1. S Sultana (wk), 2. A Rahman, 3. F Hoque, 4. S Islam, 5. F Khatun, 6. R Ahmed, 7. J Alam, 8. K Tul Khubra, 9. N Akhter, 10. S Khatun (c), 11. N Sultana
Stats and Facts:
- This is Bangladesh’s maiden appearance in a Asia Cup final. This is India’s seventh appearance in a row.
- India possess two of the top three runscorers in the competition (H Kaur 159 and M Raj 135).
- Rumana Ahmed sits in the top three wicket takers with eight, and concedes just 3.48 an over.
Prediction:
India are super experienced, Bangladesh are super excited. That’s not to say India aren’t excited either, but they have been on this stage many times before and know what it takes.
I’m hoping Bangladesh can mount a strong challenge, but I back India to win on the back of their know-how at this time of the tournament. May the best team win!
