Asia Cup Final 2018- India vs Bangladesh: 4 factors which could determine the fate of the match

India are going to face Bangladesh in the final of the Asia Cup on 28th September in Abu Dhabi. India have been the most impressive team in the tournament and managed to win all but one of their matches so far. Bangladesh also continue to improve as a team and have only lost one match in the tournament. They knocked out Pakistan in the last Super Four match on Wednesday to qualify for the final.

India will definitely start as the favorites for the final, but Bangladesh are no pushovers at all. In fact, it should be a competitive match and Bangladesh will fancy their chances against a complacent Indian side. India could not win their match against Afghanistan and Bangladesh will be bolstered by that fact.

We look at the four crucial factors which might determine the fate of tomorrow’s match:

#1 Toss

India have batted second in most of the matches in this tournament so far and might not find it easy if they are to defend a target in the final. India have had a great record of successful run chases in the recent past and would rely on their formidable batting line-up to chase down yet another total in the final.

However, having runs on the board definitely puts considerable pressure on the opposition in a critical match and very few batsmen enjoy batting second in the final match of a tournament. If Bangladesh wins the toss, they would definitely like to bat first and put runs on the board. Any total in excess of 250 is going to a challenging one and Bangladesh have the batting depth to go past that magic figure.

However, if India win the toss, they would have to decide whether they should keep faith on their batsmen to chase down a target or adhere to the convention of batting first after winning the toss in a final. Fatigue could be yet another factor as it is not easy for any side to bat after having fielded for 50 overs in the hot and humid conditions of Abu Dhabi. It could actually be a good toss to lose for either side.

#2 Performance of the Indian openers

The Indian openers have been in red-hot form in the Asia Cup. Shikhar Dhawan is one of the contenders for winning the Player of the Tournament prize after scoring a couple of centuries. He has scored 327 runs at an average of 81.75 in the Asia Cup so far. Skipper Rohit Sharma has also scored a lot of runs including a ton. The openers have given India a blistering start in almost all of the matches and should back themselves to repeat the feat in the final.

Bangaldesh’s new-ball bowlers will have their task cut out against Dhawan and Rohit. However, their strategy of starting with a spinner could come in handy against India. Mehedi Hasan was very impressive against Pakistan and could pose some problems to India. He uses the width of the crease very well and often bowls from a wide angle. He could especially be effective against the left-handed Dhawan.

Also, Bangladeshi pacers should not bowl too many short deliveries against the Indian openers who are both very strong off their back-foot. Rohit is also very strong on the onside and would enjoy playing strokes off his legs.

#3 Performance of Bangladeshi batsmen against Indian spinners in the middle overs

India's spinners have been among the wickets in the tournament and tend to put pressure on the opposition batsmen in the middle overs by restricting ones and twos. Bangladeshi batsmen will have to keep rotating the strike against the Indian spinners.

They cannot afford to take too many risks and go for extravagant shots as those could lead to dismissals. Kuldeep Yadav has generated some prodigious turn in the Asia Cup so far, and will be a genuine wicket-taking option for India. He has already taken seven wickets in the tournament. Kedar Jhadav and Ravindra Jadeja have bowled with exceptional line and length and would not allow much freedom to the Bangladeshi batsmen. Also, MS Dhoni will be there to guide the spinners from behind the wicket.

Mushfiqur Rahim will have to shield his teammates from the Indian spinners as he is a very good player of spin. He is the 2nd highest run-scorer in the tournament with 279 runs. Mushfiqur could think of using the sweep shot frequently against the Indian spinners. He would be also be able to sweep with the turn against the leg-spin of Kuldeep.

#4 Performance of Bangladeshi all-rounders:

Almost all the members of the Bangladeshi team have the knack of contributing somewhat in every match and tomorrow’s final should be no exception. They have some very useful all-rounders in the forms of Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar and Mashrafe Mortaza and those players could prove to be vital in determining the fate of tomorrow’s match.

Mahmudullah is an underrated cricketer and seldom performs badly. He can be relied upon to bowl his quota of ten overs and also chip in with some useful, quick runs. Mortaza is ageing and somewhat tired but could use his experience to come up with yet another crucial performance. His lusty hits in the death overs might prove to be very important. Soumya Sarkar’s medium pace could also prove to be useful on a slow and low track and he might be able to contribute with a vital breakthrough or two. Veteran Shakib-Al-Hassan might not feature in the playing eleven but remains one of the options for Bangladesh.

If Bangladesh are to cause an upset, their all-rounders would have to perform well and contribute significantly.