Asia Cup - Bangladesh vs India: Depleted hosts await Dhoni-less India

Shakib al Hasan will be a big miss for Bangladesh

While the weight of 1.2 billion expectations for a century of centuries finally eased, the outcome of that particular match was not something that the achiever would have cherished. It was the last encounter between India and Bangladesh, incidentally played in the previous edition of the same tournament in 2012. It resulted in Bangladesh successfully chasing a 290-run target after Sachin’s 100th hundred led India to a below-par score on a flat Mirpur wicket.

Since then, India have had a mixed year’s cricket in 2012 followed by a largely successful 2013. This year has not started the way India would have expected it to, but they will be considering the Asia Cup as a chance to get things going.

An Indian team sans their captain would certainly be lacking his finishing expertise, but his exit opens doors for two exciting prospects. One is the obvious inclusion of Dinesh Karthik as the wicket-keeper who has witnessed a stunning reversal of fortunes over the past few weeks. After recently receiving a 12.5 crore IPL contract, he now he gets a chance to show his worth as he replaces the injured captain in the national team.

Secondly, Dhoni’s injury also gives Virat an opportunity to lead a full-strength Indian squad, though with a relatively inexperienced batting lineup. The last tournament that India played under the star batsman’s captain-ship resulted in a second-grade Indian team whitewash Zimbabwe 5-0.

On the other hand, Bangladesh’s build up to the tournament has seen more action off the field than on it. From Tamim Iqbal’s resignation as vice-captain to Shakib Al Hasan‘s inappropriate gesture on live TV, there has been plenty of stuff to keep the captain constantly bothered. Tamim’s neck strain has added to injury woes after Mashrafe Mortaza’s swollen knee.

Mushfiqur then found himself in a controversy of his own as he criticised the selectors for not consulting him while picking the team for this very tournament. Without Shakib in the first two matches and Tamim for the entire tournament, the team’s batting resources are considerably thinner; while Shakib’s absence also adversely affects the bowling department.

Both the teams are coming into the Asia Cup after failing to open accounts in their respective bilateral series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. In spite of their overseas failures, India will be considered favourites for this match, given their batting prowess on sub-continent wickets. Cheteshwar Pujara‘s inclusion in the ODI fold will be another spectacle to witness. The inconsistent Indian bowling attack will once again be under the scanner as Bangladesh are very much capable of upsetting any opponent on their day.

Start time: 2:00 pm IST