Asia Cup 2018: India's ideal template for success in the final

An in-form Indian unit is up against a resurgent Bangladesh side in the final of Asia Cup 2018. India are the most successful team in the tournament, having won it six times – five times in one-day format and once in T20 format.

As they aim to win the Asia Cup for the seventh time, here is the template for India to succeed in the final of the Asia Cup 2018:

---

#1 Selection of the best Playing XI

The best Playing XI for India in the final would ideally be the one that played against Pakistan on Sunday. That means the five fringe players who came into the team for the dead rubber against Afghanistan should be on the bench once again. In the final, there is no room for experimentation.

India’s best playing XI for the final, beyond any doubt, would be:

1.Rohit Sharma 2. Shikhar Dhawan 3. Ambati Rayadu 4. Dinesh Karthik 5. Kedar Jadhav 6. M.S. Dhoni 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9. Kuldeep Yadav 10. Yuzvendra Chahal 11. Jasprit Bumrah

#2 Batting first

Should India win the toss, they should look to bat first. Granted, the Dubai pitch has helped the team batting second. However, the wicket has started slowing down as we go deep into the tournament, as evidenced in the tied match between India and Afghanistan.

Besides, in the final, it is always better to put runs on the board and apply scoreboard pressure on the other team. Sharma ought to remember that this is a big game and should not be tempted by the prospect of chasing a target. Moreover, Bangladesh, are not as comfortable chasing as they are in putting runs on the board. Any score over 250 would be an uphill task for them in the final.

#3 Attacking the spinner

Bangladeshi off-break bowler, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, has been successful in containing the batsmen with the new ball as well as taking wickets upfront. He can be a tricky bowler for Dhawan to take on early in the innings. But the Indian skipper, who is a right-hander, should try to go over the top to unsettle the rhythm of Hasan in the powerplay overs.

#4 Dhawan going after Mustafizur Rahman

The left-hander has been in incredible form in the tournament

As a south-paw, Dhawan would be in a better position to effectively tackle the angle of left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. He is bound to spray a few balls on the leg stump to the left-handed batsman, which Dhawan should be prepared to capitalize on.

#5 Opening batsmen aiming to bat deep

Both the openers should capitalize on their terrific form to bat deep into the Indian innings. It is vital for them to shield the out-of-form Indian middle-order from early exposure to the potent Bangladesh bowling attack, irrespective of whether India end up batting first or second.

#6 Usage of the DRS by the openers, if necessary

The openers are the men in form for India's batting order. When in doubt, they are entitled to make use of the review. The duo is precious to the team ‘s batting cause and should challenge any nebulous umpiring decision without a second thought, so as to give their team the best chance of reaching a monumental total/chasing a stiff target.

#7 Attacking part-timers

Shakib Al Hasan is ruled out of the final because of an aggravation of the injury in his left little-finger

The Indian batsmen should look to attack Bangladesh's non-regular bowlers like Mahmadullah and Soumya Sarkar. In the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh will certainly struggle to complete the quota of the fifth bowler and India should exploit that weakness of their bowling attack.

#8 Dhoni batting at the death

Dhoni’s form as India's gloveman behind the has been great in the competition so far. However, in front of the wicket, he has been struggling to rotate strike, more so against spinners. The twilight of his career has had him employ the waiting game, which not his natural game.

One possible option for Dhoni to unleash his best would be to go out to bat at the death when the fast bowlers are in operation. He is a different batsman when the ball comes onto the bat with some A hit-out-or-get-out kind of situation might just concoct the best solution to Dhoni's problem with the bat.

#9 Saving strike bowlers for the middle-order

Bangladesh batsmen like Mohammad Mithun, Imrul Kayes, and Mahmudullah have shown some inherent weakness against short pitch deliveries in the tournament so far. As India would be going into the final with just two fast bowlers, it would be better to hold back some of their overs for Bangladesh's middle order. The spells of the two fast bowlers ought to be split into four, so as to be used at different stages of the innings.

Moreover, Chahal and Jadeja are better bowlers in the first power play and they might induce pressure on an attacking batsman like Mushtifiqur Rahim.

#10 Employing Kedar Jadhav, the bowler, sparingly

Kedar Jadhav has done a wonderful job as the sixth bowler for India in this Asia Cup. In the final, the captain should turn to Jadhav only when a partnership proves to be difficult to break, on when one of his main bowlers struggles to complete his quota.

Jadhav can be given a maximum of five overs in the final – expecting him to bowl more overs would be at the expense overs from India's regular bowlers. This might deny the team the chance to claim more wickets. Besides, Bangladesh batsmen are traditionally strong against spin bowling. By overexposing the non-regular spin bowler, India might just play into the hands of the opponents.

---

To sum up, the template for success is variable to situations. Rohit Sharma has vast experience as captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He would be the perfect person capable of taking the right decision at the right time to come up on top. Over to Rohit.