DUBAI: India put up a competitive total of 168 against Bangladesh in the crucial Super Fours clash of the Asia Cup 2025, after being sent in to bat under lights at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The innings was headlined by a scintillating 75 off just 37 balls from young opener Abhishek Sharma, who set the tone for the innings with a flurry of boundaries and towering sixes, scoring at a strike rate of 202.70. He shared a 77-run opening stand with Shubman Gill (29 off 19), which laid the perfect foundation for a big total.
However, despite the flying start, India’s middle order failed to capitalise. A mini-collapse saw India lose four wickets for just 52 runs between the 7th and 15th overs, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (5 off 11) and Shivam Dube (2 off 3) failing to fire under pressure.
Hardik Pandya brought stability to the innings with a composed 38 off 29 balls, including four boundaries and a six, anchoring the latter half of the innings before falling on the final ball of the innings. Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 10 off 15, ensuring India batted out the full quota.
For Bangladesh, Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers with 2/27, dismissing both Gill and Dube in quick succession to stem the early flow of runs. Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Mohammad Saifuddin chipped in with a wicket apiece, while Nasum Ahmed and Saif Hassan kept things relatively tight despite going wicketless.
Current Win Probability (mid-innings): India 55.88% – Bangladesh 44.12%
With a slow pitch under Dubai’s heat and stats favouring chasing teams, five of the last seven matches here have been won by teams batting second, Bangladesh will fancy their chances. Much will depend on how their top order tackles India’s formidable pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, backed by spin threats Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy.
A win here would bring either team one step closer to securing a place in the Asia Cup 2025 Final.
