India defeated Bangladesh by 41 runs on Wednesday, September 24, to book their tickets to the 2025 Asia Cup final.
Jaker Ali, leading Bangladesh in the absence of the injured Litton Das, won the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and opted to bowl first. The Men in Blue got off to a blazing start as Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill hit the ground running.
The opening partnership added 77 runs inside the first seven overs. However, Bangladesh bounced back strongly with the wickets of Gill
and Shivam Dube, who was promoted to No. 3. Abhishek, however, continued his onslaught before being unfortunately run out for 75 off 37 balls in the 12th over. India captain Suryakumar Yadav was also dismissed in the same over.
Hardik Pandya's 29-ball 38 helped India get to a competitive total of 168/6 in their 20 overs. Rishad Hossain was the pick of the Bangladesh bowlers, bagging 2/27 in three overs.
In reply, Bangladesh lost the wicket of Tanzid Hasan in the second over itself. However, Saif Hassan and Parvez Hossain Emon combined well to add a 42-run stand off 30 balls. After the latter departed for a 19-ball 21, Bangladesh gradually began to lose the plot.
The Indian spinners wreaked havoc through the middle overs, with Saif Hassan waging a lone battle. Suryakumar's men were abysmal once again in the field. They dropped Saif on four occasions. However, in the end, Bangladesh were bowled out for 127 in 19.3 overs.
Key moments from IND vs BAN, Super Four, Match 16 of Asia Cup 2025:
1. Abhishek Sharma goes from strength to strength
Abhishek Sharma registered his highest score in the 2025 Asia Cup, smashing a belligerent 75 off 37 balls. He hit six fours and five sixes in his innings and was looking good to post a three-figure score until he was run out in an unfortunate mix-up with skipper Suryakumar.
2. Saif Hassan's fighting fifty goes in vain
Saif Hassan was oozing with confidence after scoring a match-winning fifty against Sri Lanka in their last game. The right-handed batter single-handedly kept Bangladesh in the run-chase at one point. However, he didn't get as much help as he would have wanted from his teammates. Hassan eventually made 69 off 51 balls, after being given four reprieves by the Indian fielders.
3. Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy spin a web around Bangladesh middle-order batters
Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy bowled remarkably well through the middle overs. They took five wickets in combination, giving away just 47 runs in eight overs. They could have had more wickets had the fielders supported them with some good catching.
