India has reached the final, Sri Lanka’s exit is confirmed, and Thursday’s Bangladesh-Pakistan clash has effectively become a semi-final.
On one side, Saif Hasan kept Bangladesh in the fight with brilliant batting. On the other, one by one, teammates fell, extinguishing any hopes. The hero of the previous match fought valiantly again, but no partner supported him. Despite excellent bowling and fielding, Bangladesh’s batting failure allowed India to win by a big margin.
In this crucial Asia Cup match, India defeated Bangladesh in runs. With consecutive wins in the Super Four stage, the world champions have secured their place in the final.
India’s victory also confirmed Sri Lanka’s elimination. On Thursday, Bangladesh will face Pakistan in Dubai, in what is essentially a semi-final. The winner will advance to the trophy battle.
Bangladesh captain Liton Kumar Das couldn’t play on Wednesday due to injury. With back-to-back matches, Bangladesh made four changes in the playing XI for the Pakistan clash, treating it as the main battle. Making his leadership debut, Zaker Ali won the toss and chose to bowl.
India’s innings had two clear phases. Abhishek Sharma’s destructive batting helped them score 112 runs in the first 11 overs. Sharma smashed 75 off 37 balls, hitting six fours and five sixes.
However, India managed only 56 runs in the final nine overs.
Except for Saif, no Bangladeshi batsman could sustain the fight against the bowlers’ resilience. Chasing 169, Bangladesh were bowled out for 127.
Saif, who scored 61 in the previous match, made 69 off 51 balls with five sixes this time. Apart from him and Parvez Hossain Emon (21), no other batsman reached double figures.
Batting first after losing the toss, India’s powerplay unfolded in two parts. In the first three overs, they scored just 17 with only one boundary. In the next three overs, 55 runs came rapidly.
Shubman Gill began India’s assault with a boundary and six off Nasum Ahmed. Abhishek had only eight runs at that point but soon accelerated, hitting Saif Uddin for a six and a four. Saif then conceded four boundaries in an over. By the 11th over, India had 112 runs.
The innings’ turning point came when Rashid’s brilliant fielding and throw ran out Abhishek. Bangladesh then tightened their grip. Mustafizur’s over saw India captain Suryakumar Yadav caught behind, giving experienced pacer Shakib Al Hasan his highest wicket tally in this format—150 wickets.
Tanzim Hasan, wicketless in the first spell, removed Tilak Varma in his second spell. India’s right-left batting combination prompted them to send Axar Patel ahead of Sanju Samson, but they couldn’t unleash the expected storm. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel’s controlled bowling and fielding contained Bangladesh effectively. In the last five overs, India scored only 36 runs.
Runs mainly came off Pandya’s bat. The all-rounder scored 38 off 29, while Axar remained unbeaten on 10 from 15 balls.
Early wickets for India came courtesy of Jasprit Bumrah. Parvez Hossain Emon struggled initially against swinging deliveries but found his rhythm later. Saif also settled in, hitting multiple boundaries. After the powerplay, Parvez was dismissed for 21 off 19 balls by Kuldeep Yadav.
After this 42-run partnership broke, Bangladesh found no other solid stand. No other batsman reached double figures.
Hridoy fell to Axar, Shamim bowled to Varun, and captain Zaker was run out by India’s direct hit. Saif tried to keep Bangladesh’s hopes alive, hitting four sixes and several boundaries, but he fell for 69, caught off Axar’s brilliant catch. Bangladesh’s heavy defeat was sealed.
This match evokes memories of the 2018 Asia Cup in the UAE, where India had already secured the final, and Bangladesh-Pakistan’s Super Four match had effectively become a semi-final. Back then, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s team won that battle; now, Liton’s team awaits a repeat opportunity.
Match Summary
- India: 168/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek 75, Gill 29, Dube 2, Suryakumar 5, Pandya 38, Tilak 5, Axar 10*; Tanzim 4-0-29-1, Nasum 4-0-34-0, Mustafizur 4-0-33-1, Saif Uddin 3-0-37-1, Rashid 3-0-27-2, Saif Hasan 2-0-7-0)
- Bangladesh: 127 in 19.3 overs (Saif Hasan 69, Tanzid 1, Parvez 21, Hridoy 7, Shamim 0, Zaker 4, Saif Uddin 4, Rashid 2, Tanzim 0, Nasum 4*, Mustafiz 6; Pandya 2-0-14-0, Bumrah 4-0-18-2, Varun 4-0-29-2, Kuldeep 4-0-18-3, Axar 4-0-37-1, Dube 1-0-10-0, Tilak 0.3-0-1-1)
Result: India won by 41 runs.
Man of the Match: Abhishek Sharma
