India opt to field against Bangladesh in Asia Cup final
India won the toss and opted field against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup final here on Friday. Defending champion India will be looking to secure continental bragging rights for the seventh time, while Bangladesh has made it to the Asia Cup final for the third time in last four editions but has yet to win.
India picked a full strength team for the title clash, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan and captain Rohit Sharma, who all were rested for the game against Afghanistan.
Injury-plagued Bangladesh, already without opener Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, made one change to the side that defeated Pakistan, which was virtually a semifinal. Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam comes in to replace middle-order batsman Mominul Haque.
Following the toss, India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma said "Big game, runs on the board are important. But I guess fielding first is something that suits our team and we have done that superbly, no reason to change it. I think right from the first game onwards, we knew it would be challenging and a lot of people came here with great form. They came out and delivered that."
"We've played excellent cricket, just one hurdle to cross. We're ready for it. The sole purpose was to come and qualify for the final first and then come out and perform the way we have. We don't need to change anything, even if it's a big occasion," he added.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, on the other hand, said they have played well in the tournament so far and are looking to maintain the momentum in the final match as well.
"Credit goes to the boys, the way they've behaved and stood up in the last few matches. We have to play hard today and fight till the last ball. We have a great chance tonight, but you never know, they (India) are the No. 1 side. There's always pressure in the final. If we can cope with it, we have a good chance," Mortaza said.
Talking about the team combinations, the Bangladesh skipper confirmed that they have brought in left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam in place of Mominul Haque.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
Bangladesh: Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza(captain), Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.
India picked a full strength team for the title clash, bringing back Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan and captain Rohit Sharma, who all were rested for the game against Afghanistan.
Injury-plagued Bangladesh, already without opener Tamim Iqbal and all-rounder Shakib al Hasan, made one change to the side that defeated Pakistan, which was virtually a semifinal. Left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam comes in to replace middle-order batsman Mominul Haque.
Following the toss, India's stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma said "Big game, runs on the board are important. But I guess fielding first is something that suits our team and we have done that superbly, no reason to change it. I think right from the first game onwards, we knew it would be challenging and a lot of people came here with great form. They came out and delivered that."
"We've played excellent cricket, just one hurdle to cross. We're ready for it. The sole purpose was to come and qualify for the final first and then come out and perform the way we have. We don't need to change anything, even if it's a big occasion," he added.
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, on the other hand, said they have played well in the tournament so far and are looking to maintain the momentum in the final match as well.
"Credit goes to the boys, the way they've behaved and stood up in the last few matches. We have to play hard today and fight till the last ball. We have a great chance tonight, but you never know, they (India) are the No. 1 side. There's always pressure in the final. If we can cope with it, we have a good chance," Mortaza said.
Talking about the team combinations, the Bangladesh skipper confirmed that they have brought in left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam in place of Mominul Haque.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.
Bangladesh: Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza(captain), Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.