In the blue corner are India, the No. 1 team in the world and the only side with an all-win record in the T20 Asia Cup. In the red corner are Bangladesh who, after a tepid start to the competition, are just about hitting their strides.
Coming off contrasting victories in their opening Super 4s fixtures, they will attempt to take a giant leap towards the September 28 final when they lock horns at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Bangladesh threatened to make a hash of what for the large part appeared to be a regulation chase before scrambling home with one ball to spare against Sri Lanka on Saturday; 24 hours later, India rallied from a poor start to clatter past Pakistan for the second time in a week, reiterating pre-tournament favouritism.
India’s formidable record
Despite the lop-sided nature of the rivalry — India have lorded the T20I exchanges 16-1, their lone defeat coming in Delhi in November 2019 — there has been an inexplicable needle between the sides. Some of it has to do with Bangladesh’s frustration at having come close, but being unable to breast the tape, not least in the World Cup clash in Bengaluru in 2016 when they needed two off the last three balls and lost by one run.
This Bangladesh side bears little resemblance to that team; nine and a half years is an eternity but especially in the last few months, Bangladesh have embarked on a journey of rediscovery which they hope will help them shed their lowly No. 9 status in the ICC rankings. Litton Das is in charge of an exciting unit determined to carve its own identity, but Bangladesh will be aware of the magnitude of the task ahead of them.
B’desh weak in the middle
Since the last T20 World Cup in the Americas, India have stacked up an enviable 21-3 win-loss record; among those 21 victories is a 3-0 drubbing of Bangladesh at home, in October. In the last of those clashes in Hyderabad, Sanju Samson led a breathtaking assault that brought the home side its highest T20I score, a monumental 297 for six. Without going into overdrive, India’s batting has been in good health; worryingly for Bangladesh, the middle order hasn’t yet found its feet, though truth to tell, Abhishek Sharma specifically hasn’t left them with too much to do. One of India’s big goals will be to restore Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy to wicket-taking ways. Between them, in 21 overs, they boast only five scalps; Bumrah has been going at 8.36 runs per over, uncharacteristically leaking boundaries. As many as 12 fours and three sixes have been struck off 66 legal deliveries, the kind of punishment the pace ace is unaccustomed to. Having set the bar at an unrealistic height, Bumrah might be a victim of his own grand standards but Bumrah with a point to prove isn’t exactly the proposition Bangladesh will fancy running into.
Apart from the two points that come with a win, India have numerous boxes to tick. Bangladesh, by contrast, will just be happy with the ‘W’, one suspects.
3
No. of wickets taken by Bumrah in three Asia Cup 2025 matches
12
No. of fours conceded by Bumrah so far in the tournament
3
No. of sixes conceded by Bumrah so far in this Asia Cup