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A round-up of the action from the second day of the second round of three-day matches in the Emerging Players Tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2011Riding on an unbeaten double-century from Reeza Hendricks, South Africa Emerging Players piled up a 183-run first innings lead against Australian Institute of Sport at Endeavour Park, before declaring on 407 for 6. Australia’s openers, Sam Whiteman and Marcus Harris, then safely negotiated ten overs before stumps.Resuming on 76 for 1, Hendricks and Temba Bavuma added over a hundred runs before left-arm spinner Jon Holland bowled Bavuma for 53. Hendricks was unstoppable though, carrying his bat through the innings, in a knock that included 27 fours and two sixes. The rest of the middle order, apart from wicketkeeper Mangaliso Mosehle, failed to support Hendricks. Mosehle resisted adequately, scoring 68 in a partnership of 148. Holland was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three middle order wickets.It was another successful day for India Emerging Players in Townsville, as they forced New Zealand A to follow on and then nipped out three wickets at the end of the day to further their advantage.New Zealand were still 84 runs behind India at the close of play, with seven wickets remaining in their second innings. India’s left-arm spinners Iqbal Abdulla and Bhargav Bhatt took three wickets each in New Zealand’s first innings and restricted them to 272. Daniel Flynn scored 52, Dean Brownlie got 55 and there were a few other starts, but none of the New Zealand batsmen carried on. Their second innings started disastrously; the openers were sent back within the first two overs and then Neil Broom fell to Bhatt, leaving New Zealand 26 for 3. Flynn and Brownlie batted 11 overs at the end of the day but will need to bat long on the third day to help New Zealand avoid defeat.

Josh Hazlewood, the New South Wales fast bowler, feels ready to step up to Test level if he gets the chance this summer

Cricinfo staff07-Aug-2010Josh Hazlewood, the New South Wales fast bowler, feels ready to step up to Test level if he gets the chance this summer. Hazlewood is only 19 but has already made his one-day international debut, taking 1 for 41 against England in June, and has spent time with Craig McDermott at the Centre of Excellence during the off-season.With 17 wickets in six first-class games, there is still a lot for him to learn, but McDermott says he has “a truckload of ability”. Hazlewood, who is 196cm, is trying not to get too carried away, but can’t stop thinking about the Ashes.”The way fast bowling is, guys go down with injuries and you can jump up a few places pretty quickly,” Hazlewood said in the Sunday Telegraph. “I’ll get a few opportunities at the start of the Shield season to put my hand up. I’d definitely feel ready if I got a chance during the Ashes. I’ve worked hard in the off-season.”The Ashes is the top of international cricket, it’s in Australia this summer and to think you could be a part of it, it’s pretty exciting, but you try not to think about it too much. You try not to get carried away but you can’t ignore the chance might be there.”McDermott, who made his Test debut as a 19-year-old, has been impressed. “There’s a tremendous future for him, but he’s a big boy who has to take a lot of care with keeping his body fit,” he said. “I’m not going to comment on pecking orders or selections but bowling-wise, with that pace and bounce, it’s all there.”Before Hazlewood gets a chance to play for Australia he has to secure a regular spot at New South Wales, who have Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken available following their reduction in international game time. Doug Bollinger and Shane Watson will also be around for at least a couple of Sheffield Shield games early in the summer, and then there is the promising next rung of Mitchell Starc, Trent Copeland and Burt Cockley.Brad Haddin, the New South Wales wicketkeeper, sees a place for all of them in the various competitions. “New South Wales has some great bowlers at the back-end of their careers, but on the same scale we have some young bowlers just starting out,” he said in the Sun-Herald. “And what tends to happen with the younger guys is their bodies don’t quite stand up to the demands of Shield, one-dayers and the other forms of cricket they need to play.”So to have a Stuart Clark, a Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken around is great because they can feed off them for a year. They get enough information from their bowling coaches, so rather than talking to them it’s more a case of learning from watching how those blokes prepare.”

“If I speak, I’ll get into trouble. So I better stay quiet on that,” TKR captain Pollard said of the incident

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2024An lbw decision against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons batter Imad Wasim that swayed between out and not out for over 10 minutes led to “chaos”, controversy and an unusual delay in the CPL game against Trinbago Knight Riders in Port-of-Spain.The initial not-out decision was briefly overturned by the third umpire Nigel Duguid before Wasim was called back to resume batting, which sparked off animated chats between TKR captain Kieron Pollard and the on-field umpires Christopher Taylor and Patrick Gustard.The incident happened on the second ball of the tenth over of the chase right after Sunil Narine had Hassan Khan stumped for 36 off 20 balls. Falcons needed another 67 off 65 deliveries when Wasim looked to defend his first ball with a forward press in front of the stumps, and Narine, from around the wicket, pitched the ball on a good length, before it went on to hit Wasim’s pads right in front of middle stump. The loud lbw appeal was first given not out by umpire Taylor, which Narine asked Pollard to review. When Pollard did, ball-tracking showed the ball hitting leg stump, which would have meant a golden duck for Wasim.Wasim, however, looked confident that he had edged the ball before it hit his pad. He was seen chatting with the umpires before he started walking off, and was even willing to, in turn, review TKR’s review as replays on the big screen showed he had edged it. Falcons assistant coach Curtly Ambrose was watching the replays in the dugout too with the rest of the squad, and was seen gesticulating from just beyond the boundary to protest against Wasim’s dismissal.The umpire soon reverted his decision to not out after seeing the inside edge, but only to spark off an animated conversation between Pollard and both on-field umpires, with this time the TKR coach Phil Simmons signalling from the dugout. It led to a near 12-minute delay, with the TKR camp clearly unhappy about the eventual decision, and later seeing Wasim hitting the winning runs too.Despite the loss on Thursday, TKR are still second on the points table. But they have not sealed a playoffs berth yet, and a visibly upset Pollard kept things very short at the presentation. “If I speak, I’ll get into trouble,” he said about the Wasim incident. “So I better stay quiet on that.”Falcons captain Chris Green was more expressive. “Chaos, absolute chaos,” Green said. “I don’t know what went on. He was given out when he shouldn’t have been, and then he stood over the rope and he probably shouldn’t have – but he was told to. Absolute chaos. I don’t know what happened, but this tournament continues to entertain in different ways… Really happy with the win. We outplayed them in all facets of the game tonight, and we thoroughly deserve that win.”

Royal Challengers come into the game on the back of two defeats, while Royals stopped a losing streak in their last match

Himanshu Agrawal13-May-20235:16

‘RCB bowlers should fancy themselves in Jaipur’s afternoon conditions’

Big picture: Competition heats up

Only two points separate Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and with the round-robin stage at its business end, they will be wary of not tightening things further. Royal Challengers are among two teams locked on 10 points.While being placed seventh and having the better NRR can still give them hope of a top-four finish, Royal Challengers travel to Jaipur following back-to-back defeats in Delhi and Mumbai, where the opposition chased down 182 and 200 respectively, with ease.Their bowlers have conceded 180-plus four times in their last five games, twice each on either side of a remarkable defense of 126. That win over Lucknow Super Giants remains their only victory in their last four matches, and they will be wary of a Royals side which thumped Kolkata Knight Riders to reignite their own campaign.Three defeats in a row seemed to have taken the juice out of what had started as a near-perfect season for Royals. Two of those losses came in an unsuccessful defense of 212 and 214 in the final over – sandwiched between a batting collapse of 118 – before Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal brought Royals back on track.But despite that inconsistency, it is not too late for both Royals and Royal Challengers to remain in contention for the playoffs. Maybe Royal Challengers can take heart from having beaten Royals by seven runs earlier this season; and if that happens at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium too, then it could soon turn out to be a Royal battle for the playoffs.

Recent results

Rajasthan Royals WLLLW
Royal Challengers Bangalore LLWLW

Team news

The big question

Kedar Jadhav was RCB’s impact sub in their last game•RCB

Impact Player strategy

Royals dropped Obed McCoy for their last game after using him as Impact Sub against Sunrisers Hyderabad. If he is left out again, Royals might swap either of Jaiswal or Dhruv Jurel with KM Asif depending on whether they are batting or bowling first.RR probable XII: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Joe Root, 5 Devdutt Padikkal, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 , 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Kedar Jadhav had replaced Mahipal Lomror as Impact Sub for Royal Challengers against Mumbai Indians, though it didn’t work out as intended. So if they bat first against Royals, they might start with Jadhav, and bring in either Mohammed Siraj or Harshal Patel when they bowl. And it could go the other way round if they happen to chase.RCB probable XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Glenn Maxwell, 4 Mahipal Lomror, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Anuj Rawat/Shahbaz Ahmed, 7 , 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Vyshak Vijaykumar, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12

Stats that matter

• It could be interesting to see which opening pair trumps the other in Jaipur. Among those with a minimum of eight first-wicket stands and a total of 200 runs added this season, Royals’ Jaiswal and Jos Buttler have the best run rate of 10.03, while Royal Challengers’ Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis have the most runs with 650.
• However, there could a twist in the tale. Royal Challengers have the most wickets in the powerplay this season (25), and the best average. Nine of those wickets have gone to Mohammed Siraj, who is third on the wicket-takers’ list during that phase only on account of a barely worse average of 18.22 than Royals’ Trent Boult, who is second with 18.11. Also, Boult has the second-most wickets in the first over of a game in IPL history.
• Chahal, with the second-most wickets (21) so far this season, holds a clear advantage over du Plessis, the highest run-getter (576). Royal Challengers’ captain has managed only 34 runs from 40 balls against Royals’ legspinner, while being dismissed twice. But both Chahal and R Ashwin might be wary of Glenn Maxwell, who strikes at 173 and 200 respectively, against them.
• The last time Royal Challengers beat Royals in Jaipur was in 2012, when Kohli and Harshal Patel were part of the winning side.

Pitch and conditions

Jaipur has hosted four matches this season, and the scores batting first in the last three of those have swung from 202 to 118 to 214. All four games started at 7.30pm local time, with the side batting first as well as chasing winning twice each. However, the Royal Challengers match will be the first this season to begin at 3.30pm. And among all Indian grounds to have hosted at least 15 IPL matches starting at either 3.30 or 4pm, Jaipur has the lowest run rate of 7.92.Meanwhile, the temperature in Jaipur is expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius in the afternoon, though it might fall as evening draws closer.

Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel have all levelled up

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Mar-2022India allrounder Hardik Pandya and senior batter Shikhar Dhawan have suffered the biggest slides in the new set of annual contracts finalised by the BCCI and its selectors. Also getting demoted are the senior trio of Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. In contrast, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel have all levelled up.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The annual contracts – running from October 2021 to September 2022 – were ratified by the BCCI’s Apex Council late on Wednesday. The Apex Council also finalised former India fast bowler Abey Kuruvilla as the general manager cricket development, a position that was left vacant since February after Dhiraj Malhotra left on January 31.No fresh additions were made to the A+ category, worth INR 7 crore (USD 930,000*), with the trio of India captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah retaining their contracts.It was the Grade A slab (INR 5 crore or USD 660,000) that was trimmed severely from 10 in the last cycle to half that number. Pandya and Dhawan have dropped from Grade A to C. Pandya, who had moved from Grade B to A in the 2020-21 cycle, has suffered with fitness issues over the last two years and has not played for India since the T20 World Cup last October. Dhawan, meanwhile, has become more of a one-format player in the least year, with the selectors favouring him in 50-overs cricket and little else.Many will wonder as to why Rahane, Pujara, Ishant were handed Grade B contracts (down from Grade A last season) when none of them were considered for the two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka starting on Friday. Chetan Sharma, India’s chairman of selectors, had pointed out that he had spoken to all three players, along with Wriddhiman Saha, about how his panel wanted to give youngsters more chances without closing the door on the seniors. Barring Saha, the other three players have featured in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, to keep their chances of returning to the national team alive.Iyer, Siraj and Axar, who featured in the last cycle in Grade C (INR 1 crore or USD 130,000), have all been moved one rung up on the back of their consistent performances over the last year. Another key player, who has featured for India in all three formats, bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur, retained his Grade B contract.* All USD values are approximations where 1 USD =75 INR

Bereaved fast bowler says he’ll be playing now to fulfil his late father’s dearest wish

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2020Mohammed Siraj, who opted to stay on with the India squad in Australia after his father died recently in Hyderabad, said the words of his mother and captain Virat Kohli helped him make the decision.”In this situation, the way the whole team has supported me felt very nice,” Siraj told . “They ensured there were no difficulties. Virat said, ‘, don’t take tension. Stay strong because it was your dad’s dream that you do this (play for India), so do that. If you stay strong through this, it will be good for both you and your family.’ That was a very positive message for me, and I felt very nice.”Siraj was offered the option to fly back home by the BCCI, but given the quarantine rules in place, he would have had to spend 14 days in isolation if he had travelled home and then flown back to rejoin the team in Australia.”I spoke to my mom and she told me, ‘Son, everyone has to go some day. Today dad has gone, tomorrow I will have to go, you will also have to someday. Dad always wanted you to play for India, so you stay there, and do that. Perform well for India.'”The person who used to support me the most is gone, it’s a big loss for me,” Siraj said. “He always wanted me to play for India and bring glory to the country. So my mindset henceforth is just that I fulfil his dream. My dad is not there in this world, but I know that he’s always there with me. I’m going ahead thinking that.”Siraj is part of India’s Test squad, part of a strong pace attack that has Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini, with Ishant Sharma also a possibility to join the team.India coach Ravi Shastri said the fast-bowling attack was capable of delivering a second successive series victory in Australia if the batsmen put runs on the board.”We have a fabulous five,” Shastri was quoted as saying by . “Yadav has the experience. Saini is young and fast. Bumrah one of the best in business. Shami is raring to go. Siraj is an exciting prospect. You put up runs on the board and watch these fast bowlers hunt the opposition. They can beat Australia in their own den.”

West Indies fought back late in the day after two half-century stands had taken India to relative safety following a fiery opening spell

The Report by Varun Shetty22-Aug-20193:00

County stint really helped me – Rahane

Stumps
West Indies fought back late on the first day after two half-century stands had taken India to relative safety following a fiery opening spell that had left the visitors at 25 for 3 inside eight overs. Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul led the first fightback with a 68-run stand, and Rahane then put on 82 with Hanuma Vihari as India dominated briefly in the middle session. But Kemar Roach, the architect of the early collapse, returned to cause trouble with the old ball and, alongside opening partner Shannon Gabriel, kept India to 203 for 6 by close of play.However, the delicious ebb and flow of the game was cut short by the weather. Intermittent rainfall meant a 15-minute delayed start, an early finish to the last two sessions, and, ultimately, only 68.5 overs of play. Left-handers Rishabh Pant (20*) and Ravindra Jadeja (3*), at the back end of India’s elongated batting order for this Test, were unbeaten when the players went off.The resultant moisture from the rain was what had prompted Jason Holder to elect to bowl, and his bowlers delivered immediately with a superb opening spell. In a largely cloudy first hour, Roach bowled the fullest length and was rewarded for it. With steep climb from a length, he pinned the openers to the crease, and it didn’t take him long to get one of them to poke with hard hands, Mayank Agarwal left with little choice against a ball holding its line after coming in. He got a thin outside edge, as did Cheteshwar Pujara four balls later. India’s No. 3 was rooted to his leg stump guard and pushing away from the body, although based on the off stump line, he too had little choice. Both nicks went to Shai Hope, stand-in wicketkeeper for the injured Shane Dowrich.While nagging in the corridor did the job for those two, West Indies needed a little more brute force with Virat Kohli. Gabriel had been spliced through point and then driven down the ground by India’s captain, who, as is often the case, had looked the most confident batsman within minutes of arriving. That was until Gabriel’s burst of three consecutive short balls. One had him hopping, one snuck under an early pull to hit him on his right elbow, and against the third, Kohli jabbed away from the body, lobbing one harmlessly for debutant Shamarh Brooks at gully.Walking in at 25 for 3, Rahane showed immense restraint against a red-hot West Indies pace attack that greeted him with a short one into his midriff. At one point early in the day, Holder even bowled four consecutive maidens to him.Ajinkya Rahane plays a pull•Associated Press

He hung in with Rahul, another Indian batsman with a point to prove, and the pair made it past the opening hour. The two batsmen seemed to have made a concerted effort not to drive away from the body, a decision backing their many straight drives through the day. While not all of these drives produced runs or boundaries on a two-paced pitch, both seemed content to wait it out.They only gave themselves permission to expand their games in the second session, when the sun was out and there was no swing on offer. The first cover-driven boundaries came during this period.But, just as he looked like he had set himself up for a big one, Rahul was caught sharply down the leg side by Hope off Roston Chase. Rahul’s disappointment was visible as he walked off. With the chance to make a substantial overseas score gone in somewhat unfortunate circumstances, it wasn’t surprising.One of the most stirring passages of the day came after tea. After an afternoon of figuring out the pace of the wicket, Rahane and Vihari began aggressively. Off the second over of the session, Rahane dismissed a Chase short ball and set off a ripple that carried into the next 30 minutes, with the two batsmen one would typecast into anchor roles scoring briskly. At one point, the session run rate was over seven per over.Inside this phase was an over where Miguel Cummins had Vihari edge past second slip, beaten him on the straight drive next ball, and drew an edge that flew over slip off the next one as the batsman looked to cut a short ball. They were possibly the best few minutes of Cummins’ day. The fast bowler struggled to hit consistent lengths and after being too short most of the day, was removed from the attack after his next over when Vihari drilled him down the ground.But it was this change that eventually paid off. Roach and Gabriel were back bowling in tandem, and Vihari’s aggressive streak led to him opening the face slightly as he tried to defend against Roach and edging to Hope, who took a dipping ball well in front with a dive.Rahane’s three boundaries in the session had come with horizontal-bat shots, including a picturesque square drive on the rise against Roach. It was perhaps this confidence that led to him chasing Gabriel away from the body, on his toes trying to punch through the covers, but, similar to Kohli, he was through the shot too early as the pitch took some pace off the ball. He chopped on and kept his two-year wait for a Test century going. Rahane did, however, play the kind of innings for which India have continued to back him during his prolonged lull in form.

The players are owed three months’ salary and match fees from their tour of Sri Lanka last July and have already opted not to train ahead of the tri-series with Australia and Pakistan as a first sign of protest

Firdose Moonda04-Jun-2018Zimbabwe’s players have given their board an ultimatum to pay outstanding salaries and match fees by June 25, failing which they will boycott July’s T20 tri-series with Australia and Pakistan.The cricketers are owed three months’ salary and match fees from their tour of Sri Lanka last July and have already opted not to train ahead of the tri-series as a first sign of protest. New interim coach Lalchand Rajput is expected to arrive in Zimbabwe on June 10 but it may be to the sight of empty nets.Zimbabwe are also due to host Pakistan for five ODIs later in the year but the fate of those matches has not come under the spotlight yet.In a bid to revive their union, last seen in 2015, the players have appointed lawyer Gerald Mlotchwa to be their spokesperson. However, several sources have revealed they do not know whom Mlotchwa will be negotiating with since the board has failed to appoint a new managing director following Faisal Hasnain’s depature at the end of April.A ZC spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo that a solution to this situation is nearly at hand. “Due to a very difficult financial situation beyond its control, ZC has been unable to meet some of its obligations, including paying player and staff salaries in time. However, because this is a matter of top priority, ZC has been working round the clock to address the challenge and, as promised to the players by our chairman, ZC expects to start processing payments this week.”However, many insiders remain skeptical. ZC is as cash-strapped as ever, with debts in the region of USD 19 million. It is expecting an ICC payout in July but that may come too late to meet the players’ demands.To secure the payout, ZC needed to see the domestic season to a close. The board suspended it in January to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers but it resumed in April – even though several national players chose not to take part over unpaid salaries – so that Zimbabwe could meet its Full Member requirements.”It’s a complete joke at the moment,” one player told ESPNcricinfo. “ZC made out as though some players were injured to save face. They didn’t bother that the big-name players weren’t available, they just needed to get the games out of the way. No-one knows how things will work going forward”Late on Monday afternoon, ZC attempted to provide some direction, announcing the acquisition of Vince van der Bijl, the former South African fast bowler who was the ICC’s umpires and referees manager, as a consultant with immediate effect. In a release, ZC said van der Bijl’s appointment was part of a “major initiative by ZC to restructure its domestic and international cricket.”

Needing to win the match to stay alive in the series, West Indies demolished Pakistan with the help of Evin Lewis’ 91 off 51 balls

The Report by Alagappan Muthu01-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEvin Lewis belted nine sixes in an innings of 91 off 51 balls•AFP

In a nutshellThis was the batting performance everyone was waiting for from the world champions. West Indies had only 138 to chase down, but it was still five runs more than the target they couldn’t get to two days ago. But, making sure those bad memories didn’t well up, and more importantly that the series stayed alive, was opener Evin Lewis. The 25-year-old smashed his first T20I fifty – he already has a hundred – countering everything that was thrown at him. Perhaps the only thing he wasn’t tested against was scoreboard pressure, because Pakistan didn’t have any to apply. Their batting underwhelmed so much that they lost two wickets in the first over and suffered five single-digit scores.Where the game was wonIn the chase, because West Indies’ batting seems like a chocolate eclair right now: solid on the outside, but gets all gooey in the middle. And when Chadwick Walton fell in the second over, Pakistan were starting to lick their fingers. Then came two successive fifty partnerships. Lewis led both of them, putting on 56 runs in 40 balls with Marlon Samuels and 76 off 40 with debutant Jason Mohammed.The men who won itMan, actually. Lewis, standing tall and smashing sixes like the legends of old. There were nine in all – one of them brought up his half-century – and each of them was an event. The flourish of the bat, the arch of the back, the sheer power and the disdainful look. He finished with 91 off 51, the highest score by any batsman against Pakistan in T20Is and his lasting 14.4 overs in the chase completely nullified Shadab Khan’s impact. Until this match, the 18-year old legspinner had taken seven wickets at an average of 3 and strike-rate of 6.8. On Saturday, he went for 38 runs in 3.5 overs, 25 of which came off Lewis’ bat.Moment of the MatchIt was the start of the 13th over of the Pakistan innings. Facing it was Kamran Akmal. He had helped steady the team after a dramatic wobble and was on 48 off 36 balls. The full toss that Marlon Samuels bowled should have been reward for all the good work he had done until then. But it ended up dismissing him, as he pulled straight to Lendl Simmons at deep midwicket. West Indies took control from that point on, picking up six wickets and conceding only 45 runs in the last eight overs. Kesrick Williams’ slower offcutters – rather similar to Mustafizur Rahman’s – were vital towards the end, having been set up by Samuel Badree’s 2 for 22 earlier.Where they standWest Indies’ seven-wicket victory, with 5.1 overs to spare, meant the fourth and final T20I on Sunday becomes a decider. If the hosts win it, they level the series. Otherwise, Pakistan get to take home the trophy.

India have an opportunity to lift the Asia Cup and live up to the ‘World T20 favourites’ billing, but it won’t be an easy ride against an improved Bangladesh who will have a boisterous Mirpur crowd behind them

The preview by Mohammad Isam05-Mar-2016

Match facts

Sunday, March 6, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)2:48

Ajit Agarkar: Can’t look beyond India in the final

Big picture

India have an opportunity to lift the Asia Cup and live up to the ‘World T20 favourites’ billing, but it won’t be an easy ride against an improved Bangladesh who will have a boisterous Mirpur crowd behind them.Neither side thinks this will be an uneven contest. Though India beat Bangladesh soundly in the tournament opener, they are aware of what their opponents are capable at home, especially after a series loss in June 2015. Bangladesh are aware of their own strength, and there is an unmistakable confidence in their approach in T20Is these days. A win in the final would therefore be a watershed moment in this format for them.India have been flawless in the tournament so far. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made the best of every opportunity in crunch moments, while Yuvraj Singh is slowly coming into his own.Rohit steered India after a sluggish start against Bangladesh; Kohli weathered the Mohammad Amir storm against Pakistan, while Yuvraj was in his elements against Sri Lanka. All this has meant MS Dhoni has faced all of nine balls in the tournament, while Suresh Raina hasn’t had a major impact with the bat.The story with the ball isn’t too different. Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra have done the damage at the top, while Hardik Pandya has played the role of a third seamer to his captain’s liking. The spinners – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – have done what they usually do, even though some of the surfaces they have played on haven’t aided turn.That Bangladesh find themselves in this position has been largely due to the effect their bowlers have had. Taskin Ahmed and Al-Amin Hossain have stepped up, while Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have given fine supporting acts in their last three wins. The battle could get more interesting if the hosts decide to play Abu Hider, the BPL bowling hero, and off-spinning allrounder Nasir Hossain in place of Arafat Sunny and Mohammad Mithun.Bangladesh’s top three – Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar and Sabbir Rahman – have all shown good form in T20s this year, while Mahmudullah has been successful in his role as a finisher. There will be some worry over Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib’s form, but they have been known to come good when pushed against the wall.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)Bangladesh WWWLLIndia WWWWW

Watch out for

Every move of Shakib Al Hasan is being followed with bated breath in Bangladesh since he walked off with a limp at training following a burise on his right hip on Friday. Concerns have been raised over his batting form, and he couldn’t have had a better setting than in a grand finale to rediscover his touch that has made him an enigma at home.Ashish Nehra has taken at least one wicket in the Powerplay in the last seven T20Is. His late swing and control with the new ball has given India’s bowling a new dimension. He will once again be a vital cog in MS Dhoni’s scheme of things.

Team news

Hider has been given a lot of attention at training over the last two days. All indications then that he could be the surprise element in the Bangladesh bowling attack. Nasir is also being discussed as a potential replacement for Mithun, who lost his place in the top-order to Tamim. Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Nasir Hossain/Mohammad Mithun, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Al-Amin Hossain, 10 Arafat Sunny/Abu Hider, 11 Taskin AhmedWithout any injury concerns, India are set to go back to their best XI after testing their bench against the UAE. So Ravindra Jadeja, Ashish Nehra and R Ashwin will slot back in for Pawan Negi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harbhajan Singh. India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

There was a smattering of cut grass covering the pitch on the eve of the final, though there is a good chance of it being shaved off. Weather is fine with no forecast of rain but the daytime heat means there could be heavy dew late in the evening.

Stats and trivia

• This is Bangladesh’s first appearance in any T20I tournament that involves three or more teams. India meanwhile is playing their third final in such events.
• Sabbir Rahman and Rohit Sharma have made 144 and 137 runs respectively and have the chance to topple Babar Hayat who is the leading scorer in the Asia Cup with 194 runs.

Quotes

“The flavor of this match is going to be different but if we play the way we have been playing in the last three matches, hope fully we will keep our momentum going and get something good in the end.”
“Last year Sri Lanka were the world champions here [in the Asia Cup and World T20]. Bangladesh has played very good cricket too. Not long ago Pakistan was in the top two. Now it is India. You can never discount teams in the subcontinent.”