2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in their Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 clash against Bangladesh

Team India suffered their first defeat to Bangladesh in the Asia Cup since the 2012 edition as they went down by six runs in Colombo on Friday, September 15.

There was nothing on the line for either team, with India having qualified for the final and Bangladesh having been eliminated after suffering defeats in their first two Super Four matches. Both teams also had a number of notable absentees.

Nevertheless, the Men in Blue will be disappointed at having their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup 2023 ending, especially at the hands of an opposition that weren't anywhere near their best. They will need to reflect on their performance as they gear up to face Sri Lanka in the final.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in their Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash against Bangladesh.

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#3 Mistake - India's death bowling let Bangladesh off the hook

Prasidh Krishna got his radar right for the most part but is still a work in progress at the death

India had Bangladesh on the ropes at various points of the first innings. The Tigers were 59/4 at one stage and 161/6 at another, but still managed to reach an above-par 265/8.

The Men in Blue didn't help themselves with their catching as they shelled three offerings in the middle overs. More importantly, though, their death bowling let Bangladesh make the most of the final phase of the innings despite not having any established batters at the crease.

India's fields and bowling plans were often in contrast. No. 8 Nasum Ahmed made 44, while No. 9 Mahedi Hasan managed an unbeaten 29. Even debutant Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who came in at No. 10, hit a four and a six in the eight balls he faced.

India seem to a shaky bowling unit, especially at the death, without Jasprit Bumrah.

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#2 Masterstroke - The Men in Blue got their team selection right for the dead rubber

The team management made the right call by handing Tilak Varma his maiden ODI cap

There has been a good deal of criticism leveled at the Indian team for making so many changes to the playing XI so close to the World Cup 2023, especially since it didn't seem like the likes of Virat Kohli needed to rest.

However, it's safe to say that the team management made the right call. Not only did they err on the side of caution and not take any risks with their most important players, but they also managed to give certain key names opportunities.

Tilak Varma might be needed in India's World Cup squad if Shreyas Iyer's back continues to act up, while Suryakumar Yadav needs a way to sort out his ODI struggles. Bumrah and Hardik, meanwhile, really did need the rest.

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#1 Mistake - India used Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel incorrectly, once again

Axar Patel is a better batter against spin, clearly

It's not that hard to understand. To simplify it, Ravindra Jadeja is better against pace and Axar Patel is better against spin.

However, India somehow manage to get this wrong every time. They always use Jadeja in the middle overs even though he hasn't been in any kind of nick lately and always force Axar to somehow contend with batting with the tail.

The same transpired in Colombo, with Jadeja coming in at No. 7 and heaving wildly across the line to be castled. Axar, meanwhile, managed India's second-highest individual score in the company of the tail-enders and nearly took the side over the line.