India Crush Bangladesh By 41 Runs To Reach Final

There were flashes of promise, but Bangladesh ultimately fell to a 41-run defeat against India in their second Super Fours clash of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing 169, the Tigers suffered an early setback when opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim was dismissed for just 1 off 3 balls by Jasprit Bumrah in the second over. Saif Hassan and Parvez Hossain Emon revived hopes with a brisk 42-run stand off 30 deliveries, keeping alive the dream of a second historic win over India. However, once Emon departed, the middle order crumbled against relentless spin pressure.

Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel dismantled Bangladesh’s batting in the middle overs. Kuldeep was the star performer, finishing with 3 for 18 from four overs, while Varun picked up two and Axar one.

Saif Hassan stood tall amid the collapse, surviving four dropped catches on 19, 40, 65, and 66, before compiling a fighting 69 off 51 balls with five towering sixes—all against spin. His resistance ended when Bumrah dismissed him in the 18th over. Outside of Saif and Emon, no Bangladeshi batter reached double figures as the team folded for 127 in 19.3 overs.

Earlier, stand-in skipper Jaker Ali, replacing the injured Litton Das, opted to field first. Bangladesh made four changes, bringing in Parvez Hossain Emon, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Mohammad Saifuddin for Litton, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Mahedi Hasan.

India started aggressively, racing to 72 in the powerplay despite tight new-ball bowling. Abhishek Sharma was the standout with a blazing 75 off 37 balls, featuring seven fours and six sixes, while Shubman Gill chipped in with 29.

Momentum shifted when Rishad Hossain’s sharp throw from backward point ran out Abhishek Sharma, halting India’s charge. Rishad also removed Shivam Dube in the ninth over, finishing with figures of 2 for 27. Mustafizur Rahman (1 for 33) and Tanzim Hasan Sakib (1 for 29) bowled disciplined spells, while Mustafizur’s dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav took him past Shakib Al Hasan as Bangladesh’s all-time leading wicket-taker with 150 scalps.

Bangladesh fought back strongly at the death, conceding just 72 runs in the last 10 overs. Mohammad Saifuddin’s superb final over, giving away only four runs and removing Hardik Pandya (38 off 29), restricted India to 168/6.

Despite the setback, Bangladesh remain in contention for the final. They now face Pakistan on Wednesday at 8:30 PM Bangladesh Standard Time in Dubai, in what could effectively be a virtual semifinal.