Best pictures from Asia Cup 2016 final between India and Bangladesh

Team India’s winning selfie after clinching their 6th Asia Cup titleWhen India and Bangladesh took the field to square off for the Asia Cup final, history was beckoning to be made. Bangladesh were on the verge of winning their maiden Asia Cup title, while India were looking to win for a record 6th time.The match lived up to its expectations, despite the early rain interruption and was played as a fiercely contested game.That MS Dhoni chose the final of the tournament to unleash his fury and finish the game for his for the umpteenth time, made it look like a one-sided affair, but the game was a lot closer than that.In the end, a match-winning 60 by Shikhar Dhawan, and a classy 41 from Virat Kohli sealed the deal for India, as they strolled home with 8 wickets in hand and seven balls to spare.There were plenty of tense moments for the players, as well as, for the capacity crowd that had gathered and had weathered several storms (both physical and metaphorical) to watch their side have a go at glory.Below are presented some of the best images from the final encounter of the Asia Cup T20 2016.

#1 Nervous beginnings

The ground was completely water logged at one stage

The organization of the match itself was under some serious doubts, when about 2 hours prior to scheduled start of the game, the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Mirpur was hit by a severe hailstorm, that caught everyone off guard.

There were heavy winds, strong enough to take the frame off the big screen at the stadium, and blow off the covers from the ground, even though the groundstaff were trying vehemently to get the ground covered.

Heavy rains followed, and at one stage it seemed as if India and Bangladesh would have to share the Asia Cup trophy. But then, that was not to happen.

Eventually, the rain subsided, and the groundsmen did an excellent job removing the water logged at various places and making the ground ready for the play to begin in no time.

We had a start delayed by 2 hours, at 21:30 (local time) i.e. 21:00 IST, and the match was reduced to 15 overs per side. India won the toss and chose to bowl first.

#2 Steady start by Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar shared a short yet brisk opening stand of 27 runs

With the number of overs reduced, the batsmen were expected to go for an all out attack right from ball one, and that’s exactly what the Bangladeshi openers did.

Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar took the attack to India’s most experienced bowler, Ashish Nehra and scored runs off his initial overs.

Sarkar did everything that he could to give his side a brisk start

They weren’t just looking to clear the fence but were also trying to rotate the strike. India’s best fielder, Ravindra Jadeja, had several opportunities to hit the stumps, but he couldn’t get his accuracy spot on in this game.

Sarkar made 14 off 9 while Tamim finished with a rather uncharacteristic 17-ball 13.

#3 India strike back

The veteran Nehra got the better of Soumya Sarkar

The Indian bowling, however, wasn’t there to be bogged down, as they struck back to send the Bangladeshi openers packing. Nehra got Sarkar caught by Hardik Pandya while Jasprit Bumrah trapped Iqbal leg-before-wicket.

Jasprit Bumrah, along with Hardik Pandya, has been one of the finds for India in 2016

Those two wickets brought the scoring rate down and applied pressure on the Bangladeshi middle order.

#4 Shakib attacks, Ashwin-Jadeja counter-attack

Shakib-Al-Hasan then took it upon himself the mantle of increasing the scoring rate

Shakib-Al-Hasan joined the in-form Sabbir Rahman at the crease and immediately made his intentions clear. Sabbir had been their batsman of the tournament, and Shakib decided to shield him for the final overs, by doing the big hitting himself.

Jadeja and Ashwin brought India back into the game again

But Shakib could get as far as 21 runs before he was deceived in the air by Ravichandran Ashwin that eventually led to his dismissal by getting caught at fine leg.

Ravindra Jadeja then struck a double blow, as he got Mushfiqur Rahim run out, courtesy some excellent fielding by Kohli in the deep, and then dismissed Mashrafe Mortaza, who had promoted himself as a pinch hitter, off the very next ball.

#5 Mahmudullah finishes the innings for Bangladesh

Mahmudullah’s cameo propelled Bangladesh to a challenging total

The 5th Bangladeshi wicket fell at the score of 75, and at that moment, it looked as if they wouldn’t cross the 100 mark.

But Mahmudullah, who has recently been assigned the role of a finisher by his team, made sure that they not only crossed the 100-run mark but also posted something respectable on the board.

His innings of 33 off 13 balls included 2 fours and as many sixes, and after he had finished the innings for Bangladesh, it looked as if the momentum in the match was definitely on the hosts’ side.

Bangladesh put up 120 runs on the board, which meant that India had to score 121 from their allotted 15 overs at just over 8 runs per over. Until that point, a target with an asking rate of 8 runs per over had not been chased in the Asia Cup 2016.

#6 Bangladesh strike early

Al-Amin finished as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament

The asking rate of 8 runs per over was pushed upwards of 9, when Al-Amin Hossain dismissed Rohit Sharma in the 2nd over of the Indian innings to effectively put Bangladesh ahead in the game.

The first 5 overs were made very difficult for the Indian batsmen, as both Shikhar Dhawan Virat Kohli played with a lot of caution and made sure that he didn’t give any more wickets away.

Kohli and Dhawan played with extreme caution during the first 5 overs

The partnership between Kohli and Dhawan was the backbone of the Indian run chase.

#7 Dhawan\'s matserstroke

Dhawan delivered when it mattered the most, scoring a crucial half-century

Shikhar Dhawan had not scored many runs in the games before the final. Question marks were already being raised over his T20 credentials and his place in the side.

But, as has been the case with Dhawan, whenever speculations have been raised over his form and credentials, he has responded in grand style. And so he did today with his match-winning knock of 60, comprising of 9 fours and a six.

He took the attack to Shakib-Al-Hasan, who earlier had tried to do the same to the Indians, and performed with a better success rate than Shakib to steer India’s chase.

20-year-old Abu Hider, who was playing his maiden T20I was also well taken care of by Dhawan, as the southpaw hit two boundaries in the youngster’s first over.

Dhawan then hit two more boundaries in the next over, off Shakib, an over that cost Bangladesh 15 runs, to decisively shift the balance in India’s favour.

Kohli, at the other end, wasn’t a mute spectator either, as he too scored freely off the Bangladeshi bowlers and scored 41 off 28 with 5 fours.

#8 MS Dhoni: The finisher

This was the Dhoni of the yesteryears, the powerful bottom hand striker, who used his power and muscle more than finesse and timing

When Dhawan got out, courtesy a brilliant catch by Sarkar at point, MS Dhoni promoted himself ahead of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh with the aim of finishing the game for his team.

Dhoni had faced just 9 deliveries before this innings and plenty of talks were doing the rounds about his lack of match-practice and lack for form. As it turned out, he didn’t need any match practice.

Not if he can stroll out to bat and smash a couple of sixes for fun and guide his team to victory, after having played just 9 balls previously in the tournament.

Today, we saw the Dhoni of the yesteryears. We saw Dhoni, the marauder, the bottom hand marauder, who used his power and muscle to launch the ball out of the ground, rather than finesse and timing.

Today, we saw the butcher than Harsha Bhogle had once referred him as in 2010. The sixes that he hit over long on came as a second life to the thirsty eyes of hundreds of Dhoni fans who had waited for close to two years for their hero to do the same.

His 20 off 6 clinched the 6th Asia Cup title for his country.

#9 Heartbreak for Bangladeshi fans

The fans were left heartbroken after their team faltered after having reached so close to glory

To see a packed house, even after the thunderstorm that preceded the match and the delayed start that was a consequence of it, was a testimony in itself of the passion that the Bangladeshi fans possess for their cricket team.

Since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Bangladesh have done exceedingly well in limited-overs cricket, beating three of the top 8 Test playing nations in bilateral ODI series.

However the glory of winning a major multi-nation tournament has eluded them so far, and it remained that way after the Asia Cup final. The disappointment was visible on the faces of the supporters.

#10 India: The 6-time Asia Cup Champions

The most dominant side of the tournament eventually clinched the winner’s trophy

India had been dominant right from the word go in the Asia Cup T20 2016, and it was only fitting that their captain led them to the coveted title.

They have no won 10 of their past 11 T20I and are clear favourites for the upcoming ICC World T20 to be held also in India. It was a complete all-round performance by a side that looks the most settled of all the teams participating in the tournament.

Dhoni would now be aiming to win his second ICC World T20 title

The return to form of veterans such Dhoni, Yuvraj, and Nehra has come as a massive boon for India before the marquee tournament, as now, the team has the right mix of youngsters as well as experienced players in the setup, with clearly demarcated roles for everyone.

Come the World T20, and one wouldn’t be surprised if India are crowned as the champions for the second time in two months.