DUBAI: Abhishek Sharma’s sizzling knock and Kuldeep Yadav’s spin magic propelled India past Bangladesh, securing a place in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 final here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) on Wednesday.
Set 169, Bangladesh faltered in the chase and were bowled out for 127 in 19.3 overs, making their upcoming clash against Pakistan a virtual knockout.
The Tigers had a contrary start, with Tanzid Hasan sent back in the second over for one.
After an early wicket, Saif Hassan paired up with Parvez Hossain Emon for a 42-run partnership, which steadied them in the chase. However, Kuldeep Yadav provided India with a breakthrough with Pervez’s wicket. He was caught after scoring 21 from 19 with the aid of two fours and a six.
As a result, Bangladesh were 46-2 in 6.2 overs and were in dire need of a strong partnership. However, India’s spinners chipped in and took control of the match with wickets at regular intervals.
The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy tore through the middle order, with Saif Hassan the lone bright star.
The right-hander kept Bangladesh in the hunt with excellent ball striking, not before being removed on the second ball of the 18th over. His valiant 69 from 51 balls was studded with five sixes and three fours.
For India, it was an all-round bowling effort with every main bowler having their name in the wickets column. Yet, Kuldeep Yadav stood out with three scalps in his four overs while giving away only 18.
Earlier, Abhishek Sharma’s whirlwind 75 from 37 balls powered India to 168-6 in their 20 overs, thanks to a strong opening partnership between Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma.
The opening pair continued from where they left off against Pakistan, forging a 77-run stand in only 6.2 overs.
Abhishek’s dream run continued as he started to torment Bangladesh’s bowlers after a slow start in the opening overs.
The Men in Blue’s scorecard read 17 in three overs before Gill launched Nasum Ahmed for a four and six, with Sharma cashing in on the last ball with a six. The over yielded 17 runs and set the tone for what was to come next.
Both batters gained momentum and took 17 from the next over to give India a strong finish to the powerplay. However, Gill fell soon after the fielding restrictions were lifted. The right-hander made 29 from 19 with the aid of two fours and a six.
Bangladesh snared another wicket in the form of promoted batter Shivam Dube, who managed to score two.
Yet, India were cruising and were looking to post a near 200-run mark total; however, Abhishek Sharma’s run out in the 12th over controlled things for Bangladesh. The southpaw sublime knock featured five fewer sixes and six fours.
At this stage, India were 112-3 in 11.1 overs, with Bangladesh now taking control of the situation with regular wickets and eventually limiting them to a below-par total.
Hardik Pandya was caught on the last ball after scoring 39 from 29, striking four boundaries and a six.
Rishad Hossain remained the pick of Bangladesh’s bowlers, who chipped in with two wickets while giving away 27 runs in three overs.
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