The stage of Asia Cup 2018 finale is all set where the defending champions India will take on Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday. Mashrafe Mortaza & Co. will try their luck for the third time in the Asia Cup finals and second time against India.
No doubt the Indians are the favourites in the tournament but the way Tigers have put up a tough competition is impeccable. They stole the show against Afghanistan and humiliated Pakistan to enter the finals. And today they will look forward to proving their mettle against the men in blue.
For India, the unexpected tie against Afghanistan was an eye opener but with the return of their main players, they may turn into a tough nut to crack.
India in the final for the 10th time
With both, Rohit and Shikhar set to return to the playing XI, and Rahul and Rayudu in equally top form, it will be interesting to see if the Indian team management decides to play Rahul in the middle order. In such a scenario, the axe could be either on Dinesh Karthik or Kedar Jadhav, but the latter's part-time off-spinning ability gives him an upper hand.
Going into the final, India, who made as many as five changes in their tie against Afghanistan, will be boosted by the return of the regulars, especially the new ball pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who were dearly missed in the death overs.
Bangladesh planning to toughen the challenge
Bangladesh, who defeated Pakistan in their do-or-die Super Four clash on Wednesday, will battle against all odds, including injuries to a few key players in their attempt to lift the trophy for the first time. Bangladesh finished runners-up twice -- to Pakistan in 2012 and to India in 2016.
Bangladesh also had been handicapped by injuries to some of their key players. On the opening day, opener Tamim Iqbal was ruled out with a wrist fracture, then the finger injury of experienced all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has resurfaced again.
The bowling department will be once again spearheaded by the skipper Mortaza and left-armer Mustafizur Rahman. In the absence of the spin spearhead in Shakib, off-spinners Mehidy Hasan and Mahmudullah will be Mortaza's go-to bowlers in the middle overs.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Manish Pandey, Siddarth Kaul, Lokesh Rahul and Deepak Chahar.
Bangladesh: Masrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Mithun, Litton Kumar Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nazmul Islam Apu, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman and Abu Haider Rony.