Asia Cup 2018: India have looked unbeatable so far, says Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly feels that India will be overwhelming favourites in the Asia Cup 2018 final match against Bangladesh on Friday. According to Ganguly, India have looked unbeatable in the tournament so far. 

“India have looked unbeatable in this competition. After a shaky start against Hong Kong, they have just got stronger and stronger and will not be easy to beat in the final. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have batted exceptionally well and the break they got from not playing in the game against Afghanistan would have done them a world of good in these testing conditions,” he wrote in his column for The Times of India on Friday.

Ganguly added that for Bangladesh will have to get rid of openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma early if they are to give India a fight in the final.

He added, “For Bangladesh to remain in the contest, it will be important to control these two batsmen first before they look at others. Their exceptional form upfront means that the Indian middle-order has not come under much pressure, other than in the game against Afghanistan.”

Ganguly predicted that Bangladesh need to present a target in the vicinity of 275 if they bat first. 

“For Bangladesh to even stay competitive, a good score of around 275 will be required or else India will run away with the game,” he said.

Bangladesh will miss Shakib Al Hasan due to injury and as per Ganguly, it’s a “major blow” to their chances. 

“The loss of Shakib Al Hasan is a major blow especially with his bowling which helped balance the side. I do feel, however, that his position at No. 3 is a bit too high for him. Bangladesh have depended on Mushfiqur Rahim to see them through in big games but it cannot be him all the time, especially with the load he takes on as the ‘keeper. The rest will have to stand up, too,” he observed.

Praising the Indian pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ganguly wrote, “The Indian side will remain unchanged from the one which played against Pakistan and Bangladesh earlier, and the threat of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will loom over the Bangladeshi batsmen. Both have been exceptional with the ball, especially Bumrah who has been a standout in all formats for India. It jut goes to show that quality players adapt themselves to all formats of the game.”

Ganguly too commented on the the performances of Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the Asia Cup. While Sri Lanka exited the tournament in the first round after losing to Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Pakistan were eliminated in the Super Four stage. 

Ganguly expressed his concerns saying steps need to be taken to address the issue behind their poor show in recent times.

“As much as Bangladesh’s resurgence and Afghanistan’s emergence is good news for the game, the quality of cricket displayed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka – the giants of Asia – has left a massive dent in world cricket,” Ganguly wrote.