PTI
MIRPUR, MARCH 5
Unstoppable so far with clinical performances, a formidable India will square off against a passionate and sprightly Bangladesh in their quest for continental supremacy in the final of the Asia Cup Twenty20 cricket tournament, here on Sunday.
On paper, India are overwhelming favourites as the ICC rankings (India's 1st vs Bangladesh's 10th) suggests. But it counts for little in the shortest format, wherein the complexion of the game can change in a matter of one over.
A master plot always has sub-plots and this final will be no different. There will be little testing battles, which promise to make it an intriguing summit clash.
Whether it is Tamim Iqbal's flamboyance against Jasprit Bumrah's surprise element or young Soumya Sarkar's cavalier approach against Ashish Nehra's years of experience, there are enough ingredients for a heady battle.
Ravichandran Ashwin's guile against Sabbir Rahaman's conventional yet dangerously attacking batsmanship or Rohit Sharma's artistry against Taskin Ahmed's youthful exuberance can also be a spectator's delight.
Clear favourite: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza today conceded that India are the clear favourites to lift the Asia Cup T20 cricket trophy and only the familiarity with home conditions could tilt the balance in his side's favour in the summit clash here tomorrow.
India have been in rampaging form with four convincing wins in the tournament, including the 45-run thumping of Bangladesh in their opening league match, and Mortaza made it clear that "there was no debate" on who are the favourites in tomorrow's final at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium.
"We all know that Indians are clear favourites in the final. Let there be no debates or discussions on that," Mashrafe said at a packed match-eve press conference..
"What we have got is a young team which has won matches playing as a unit. We still don't have a T20 star, who can single-handedly win us a match. Crowd, pitch, conditions, everything will favour us tomorrow but that can never ensure that we will win the final," Mashrafe said.
While India Team Director Ravi Shastri termed tomorrow's final as "yet another match", Mashrafe said that for his team which rarely make final appearances, it's a "big occasion".
"What Ravi Shastri has said is absolutely right. It is another match for them as they are used to hype and big matches. They can take it like 10 other matches. India has played big finals, won trophies. What is easy for them may not be that easy for us. But we are trying to focus on the game, shut ourselves from the hype and remain and play as normally as possible," said Bangladesh's 'Captain Cool'.
Mashrafe said playing the final of Asia Cup T20 adds a "different flavour" but he personally rates playing the quarter-final of the 50-over World Cup against India in Melbourne last year as a "bigger achievement".
"I believe as a captain, the biggest achievement was leading the team in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against India in MCG last year. This is certainly one of my bigger achievements but that quarterfinal stands out. That was a 50-over format and played in Australia," the skipper said.
There was some bad news in the Bangladesh camp ahead of their big Asia Cup Twenty20 final against India with vice-captain and top all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan sustaining a "left hip-flex injury" in a training session.
Shakib was hit by a delivery in his left thigh region and was seen applying ice-pack. He also walked with a slight limp and looked in pain. On Saturday, he tried to practice but did not continue for long.
The dilemma in the Bangladesh camp is whether to play Shakib in Sunday's match and risk aggravating his injury before the World T20 qualifiers in Dharamsala.
The excitement of being in the Asia Cup final might be palpable in the Bangladesh camp but for India, tomorrow's summit clash would be just another game in the tournament, says Team Director Ravi Shastri.
"They (Indian players) are experienced players and they should treat this as another gamer. Our approach to every team and every game has been the same," Shastri said during the shortest press conference conducted by the Indian team on this tour that lasted less than five minutes.
"Right from the start, we have approached every game as a knock-out game. The final will be no different for us," he added.
There were no specific or elaborate answers given by Shastri during his brief interaction with the media. Shastri, however, said having won a tough game against Bangladesh in the tournament's first match will help his side in the final.
"That was (first match) a good game. Bangladesh was a very good win, to start off with. In the first game, we were under pressure till the last 10 overs, when we bounced back.
Every game is a tough game. It's about how you balance things out in batting and bowling. We did an excellent job in that game."
Asked if India's dominance against Pakistan in recent times means that the big contest in Asia will now be India versus Bangladesh contest, Shastri said: "I think all teams are very good in the sub-continent. You have your ups and your downs. Last year (2014), Sri Lanka became the World T20 champions here. Bangladesh have played very good cricket too.
"Not long ago, Pakistan were in the top two. Now it's India. You can never discount teams in the subcontinent. You will get a phase when you go up and you get a phase where you go off the boil. Then you come up again. It happens to all the teams," he said.
