Asia Cup 2018, Final - India vs Bangladesh - Toss Report

India won the toss and decided to bowl first against Bangladesh in the final of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

Here is what the captains said:

Rohit Sharma:

“Going to field first. That’s what we’ve done the whole tournament. We’ve done well fielding first throughout the tournament, so I feel like we don’t need to change anything. The guys have delivered over the tournament, and there’s just one last hurdle to cross. We are ready for it. All five guys who missed out in the last game are back for the final.”

Mashrafe Mortaza:

“Credit goes to the boys for the way they stood out in the last few games. We have to take the pressure off, play hard, and fight it out. Mominul is not playing, left-arm spinner Appu comes in.”

Preview:

The way India have played in this competition so far, they will certainly be the favourites to lift the title. The Men in Blue blew away the likes of Pakistan and Bangladesh to ensure an easy passage to the final. However, performances against Hong Kong and Afghanistan showed that they too can come under pressure.

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On the other hand, Bangladesh will be brimming with confidence after making it to the final despite the odds firmly stacked against them. The Tigers needed to win two games on the trot to make it to the final. And they beat Afghanistan and pre-tournament favourites Pakistan to set-up a mouth-watering clash with India.

Going by current form as well as history, the defending champions will be ahead of Bangladesh. India are on a 11-match unbeaten streak in the Asia Cup. But at the same time, Rohit Sharma & Co. should guard against complacency against a side which knows how to spring a surprise every now and then.

Playing elevens:

India:

Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w), Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Bangladesh:

 Liton Das(w), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

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