India booked their place in the Asia Cup 2025 final with a 41-run win over Bangladesh in Dubai on Wednesday (September 24).
Batting first, India scored
a decent total of 168 runs, powered by Abhishek Sharma's blistering knock of 75 runs. In the bowling, the Indian team dismantled Bangladesh and bundled them out for 127 runs, thus preserving their unbeaten record in this Asia Cup.
Although the Indian team has continued their merry run in the Asia Cup, there have been palpable cracks in the side over the last couple of matches. The Indian team ended up with a comfortable win, but it wasn't a smooth sailing for them. After bowling woes against Pakistan, the batting in the latter overs had some issue. And the catches continued to elude the Indian boys, who dropped a handful of them.
As India have now qualified for the Final, Suryakumar Yadav and his men will be heading into it as overwhelming favourites. But ahead of the grand clash, Gautam Gambhir's boys may need to keep an eye on a few things-
1. Serial Butterfingers, Drop Catches
India's fielding has been a major concern, with six dropped catches against Bangladesh and 12 across the Asia Cup 2025. These lapses hand momentum back to opponents and could be decisive in the high-stakes final. Sharper concentration, safer hands, and better anticipation will be critical to avoid gifting chances. The Indian ground fielding has been decent so far, but catching definitely needs improvement.
Suryakumar Yadav joked about fielding coach T Dilip sending e-mails to players to attend a class after dropped catches against Pakistan, and after the Bangladesh match, it seems a lot of them didn't attend the class.
2. Batting Order Instability
India's constant tinkering has created confusion, with decisions like pushing Sanju Samson to No. 8 and promoting Axar Patel or Shivam Dube ahead of specialists. Such experiments disrupt batting rhythm and deny players clarity in roles. Ahead of the final, against Sri Lanka in the Super 4 dead rubber, the Indian team may preserve the majority of their team. Sanju Samson, who has been a top performer as an opener, has been handed a role at no. 5, and the Kerala player deserves a chance at his position, and the team management may need to curb their enthusiasm for overanalysing things.
3. Overdependence on Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma has been India's standout performer, but scoring pressure is unfairly centered on him. The middle order's low returns and strike rates expose a weakness that stronger opponents could exploit. India need contributions from Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya to avoid over-reliance and ensure batting stability. Against Bangladesh, the middle-order had another disappointing outing, and a repetition of that in the Final can prove costly.
