Asia Cup 2018, Ind vs Ban: Buoyant India take on gutsy Bangladesh on Friday

Having pummelled Pakistan on Wednesday, India will now look to up the ante against Bangladesh, a team with a penchant for playing the party poopers, in their opening Super Four encounter of the Asia Cup 2018 on Friday.

For India, the worry will be arriving at a team combination, especially with Hardik Pandya now ruled out of the tournament following a back injury he suffered in the India vs Pakistan match, and the likelihood of pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar being rested after back-to-back games against Hong Kong and Pakistan.

Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed might be brought in place of Bhuvneshwar, but there is no clarity on who Pandya's replacement might be.

Deepak Chahar has been flown in as a replacement player, but he's unlikely to be drafted straightaway into the India playing 11.

Manish Pandey could add some batting depth and seems a more probable addition to India’s struggling middle order. As a candidate to fill in for Pandya in the bowling department, Kedar Jadhav, with his off breaks proving more than handy, could take care of the injured player’s quota of overs.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were among the runs in the first two matches, while Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik looked solid against Pakistan. But it is the batting form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni that could be adding to the team management’s worries. Dhoni hasn't been firing and it will be interesting if Rohit moves him up the batting order to give the veteran some time to settle down.

India vs Bangladesh rivalry in recent past
 

While India's rivalry with Pakistan is historic, their rivalry with Bangladesh, especially since the controversial 2015 World Cup quarterfinals at Melbourne, has been bitter.

However, one can't deny that Bangladesh are now a quality 50-over side, a format they have mastered following a formidable run at home, besides reaching the Asia Cup final in 2012.

Bangladesh Team News
 

Under the inspirational Mashrafe Mortaza and seasoned campaigners like Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyadh, the team has the potential to go all the way up to the top in the pecking order.

With two quality pacers in Mustafizur Rahaman and Rubel Hossain, backed by the experience of Mortaza and Shakib on a slow deck, India could find it difficult to score big in the middle overs.

The Bangladesh team and its media's perception of India being the proverbial big bully adds a dash of excitement to the contest. So, Friday's encounter in Dubai will not be much different, with Bangladesh forced to play back-to-back matches (after a match with Afghanistan on Thursday in Abu Dhabi).

This wasn't the original schedule, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is believed to have convinced the Asian Cricket Council to tweak it, causing a lot of heartburn.

BCCI's gaffe in Asia Cup Super Four schedule angers Mashrafe Mortaza

''Even if we beat Afghanistan (on Thursday), we will be tagged as second in the group and will have to travel to Dubai tomorrow after playing in Abu Dhabi today,'' Mortaza said on the eve of the Afghanistan game.

So, that feeling of being undermined is quite there in the Bangladeshi team, and it won't be surprising if the infamous 'Mauka Mauka' chant is back on the lips of their fans. Overall, the match has more ingredients to become a blockbuster than the one against Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will be aiming to put up a better batting show against Afghanistan at Abu Dhabi. The likes of Babar Azam, Imam ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman might find it challenging to face Rashid Khan, especially after their big win against Sri Lanka.

Here are the playing 11 probables of both the teams:

India playing 11: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar/Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar/Khaleel Ahmed, Jasprit Bumrah, Kudeep Yadav, Yuzuvedra Chahal

Bangladesh playing 11: Masrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Mithun, Litton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

Here are the Asia Cup 2018 squads of both teams

India Asia Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar

Bangladesh: Masrafe Bin Mortaza (captain), Shakib Al Hasan (vice-captain), 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, Abu Haider Rony.