India is all set to rub shoulders against Bangladesh in the first Semi-Final of the Men’s cricket at the 2023 Asian Games. The do-or-die clash will be staged at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou on October 6.
The Indian side will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad and come into the semi-final filled with confidence. They kicked off the competition on a positive note after steamrolling Nepal by 23 runs in the first quarter-final.
The batters showed a good intent with Yashasvi Jaiswal continuing his golden form with the bat in hand. The Mumbai-based cricketer scored a ton off just 49 balls and helped India propel a score of 202 runs in 20 overs.
Skipper, Gaikwad was a bit scratchy and scored 25 runs at the strike rate of 108.70. The middle order including Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma failed to gleam while Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh glittered in the role of finishers. The former ticked 25 runs off 19 balls while the latter amused 37 off just 15 deliveries, striking as many as four sixes and a couple of fours.
There were contributions across each batting order from the Nepal side but the Indian bowlers pegged back at them on a regular basis. The batters failed to settle as Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi snarred three scalps each, followed by a couple from Arshdeep Singh.
On the other hand, Bangladesh was on the brink of elimination at the hands of Malaysia. It was the experience of Afif Hossain who helped the Tigers crawl back into the contest and defend five runs in the ultimate over.
Batting first, they finished at 116-5 from a position where the scoreboard read 3/3. Skipper, Saif Hassan’s fifty was indispensable, and handy contributions with the bat from the lower-middle order helped Bangladesh to go past the 110 runs mark.
During the defense, they were struck by gutsy performances from the Malaysian cricketers. Despite early jolts, Virandeep Singh displayed an act of resilience, notching up 52 runs from 39 balls.
The equation was even curtailed down to less than run-a-ball. But Singh failed to finish the game for his side as Afif outsmarted him the ultimate over. From a situation where ten runs were needed from a dozen balls, Bangladesh pulled off a heist, securing a win by a brace.
What have they done so far?
This is the third time that cricket has featured in the history of the Asian Games. Bangladesh won the inaugural championship event of the particular sport defeating Afghanistan in Guangzhou (2010).
The start has been quite the same for the Tigers. They emerged on top against Malaysia by the scruff of their neck but would look to take the positives from this encounter and march forward. The top-order has been an issue while the middle and lower-middle-order batting gave enough assertions.
On the other hand, this is the first time that the Indian Men’s team is participating in the Asian Games. Previously, they were a part of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. It was a fifty overs contest and they were not listed under international ODIs.
In 2023, the Men in Blue initiated the honorable competition with a bang, dislocating Nepal from their track of victory. The batting did complement their bowling dynamics but they would look to earn some more runs off the middle order and fetch more dots from the bowling unit.
Head to Head Record
Both teams have faced off in the T20I format eleven times with India having a dominant run over their neighbours. The Men in Blue possess ten triumphs under the belt while Bangladesh tasted just a solitary win in 2019.
Key Players
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India): The left-handed top-order batter is in dream form with the bat in hand. He garnered a plethora of runs in the Indian domestic circuit in the past couple of years and transpired the same hue on the international stage.
From scoring an outstanding century on Test debut to getting a hundred in the Asian games, Jaiswal has been in the peak of his batting form.
Afif Hossain defended five runs in the final over against Malaysia
Afif Hossain (Bangladesh): The all-rounder from the Khulna district was gutted for not being a part of the World Cup squad. But he seems to be taking the learning from the setback and reflecting it with his performances.
Afif notched up an impactful cameo against Malaysia and countered the bowlers when his team was reeling at 3/3. He has also added value with the finger spin, snapping as many as three wickets in their latest assignment.
Predicted XIs
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad ©, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, R Sai Kishore, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Afif Hossain, Saif Hassan ©, Jaker Ali (wk), Rishad Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Sumon Khan, Rakibul Hasan, Ripon Mondol
Prediction
Bangladesh escaped a narrow defeat against Malaysia but the loopholes were clearly exposed in the quarter-final game. It won’t be that easy for the Tigers to edge past a formidable Men in Blue unit in the first semi-final making India the favorites to compete in the Gold Medal match.