In his post-match analysis, captain Suryakumar Yadav discussed how 12–14 overs of excellent bowling would be sufficient to secure the team’s victory, even on days when batting was not at its best.
Team India extended their winning streak in the competition on Wednesday, September 24, when they defeated Bangladesh by 41 runs in Dubai, making them the first team to secure a spot in the Asia Cup 2025 Final.
The Men in Blue had swept past their rivals until Wednesday, but the match against Bangladesh had its ups and downs, and India had to overcome a few obstacles to win. The fall-off with the bat in hand was one such setback; they concluded at 168/6 after going from 112/2 in 11 overs to 56 runs in the final 8 overs.
Although the target appeared to be “chaseable” on paper, the bowlers ultimately performed well, and India won handily to secure their spot in the final.
With a left-arm spinner and a leg spinner in their bowling lineup, I believe Dube [2 off 3 balls, promoted to No. 3] was ideal for the situation in the 7–15 overs area.
However, it didn’t work; that’s the way things operate,” Suryakumar Yadav remarked following the match.
“With the bowling lineup we have, if we bowl 12-14 good overs, we will win on most occasions. If the outfield had been really fast, it would have been 180-185.”
Abhishek Sharma once again stole the show as he scored 75 off 37 balls to give India the victory in the first innings, but Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy claimed five wickets apiece to stall the pursuit. This was Abhishek’s second consecutive total of 70+, after he scored 74 off 39 balls against Pakistan on Sunday. He has now reached the 30-run threshold in every innings of this Asia Cup.
Although Abhishek started slowly—at one point, he was nine from nine balls—he never looked back once he stepped on the accelerator.
The ball was swinging and seaming, so I decided to have a look at this new wicket. In reference to his strategy that evening, Player of the Match Abhishek stated, “So Shubman and I decided to have a look and then go.”
Every time I see the pitch, I go for my shots because I’ve always wanted to follow it. I wish to play in accordance with the rules. The batter gets to play a lot of balls during practice, which is when I have put in a lot of work.
The child talked about how he typically “goes with the flow” and doesn’t have a set strategy.
“As I have previously stated, I go with the flow, and I completed the task for my team.” Even if it’s the first ball, I try to get it when it’s within my reach and attempt to get my team a powerplay,” he said.
“Some bowlers want to get a wicket off the first ball, so in a few matches, I wanted to go after the first ball.”
India will play the victor of today’s match between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the final on Sunday, September 28, in Dubai.