India take on Bangladesh in Asia Cup opener
Indians take on Bangladeshis in the first match of Asia Cup today
Mirpur, Feb. 23: India enter the final phase of their preparations for next month's World Twenty20 with the Asia Cup starting on Wednesday but a cloud of uncertainty over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's availability threatens to disturb the side's momentum going into the tournament-opener against Bangladesh.
Dhoni has suffered a muscle spasm during the team's training session on Monday, prompting the BCCI to rush Parthiv Patel as his back-up.
The skipper's fitness is a concern going into tomorrow's match against the sprightly hosts, who have built a reputation of being giant-slayers on more than one occasion.
The continental championship will be played in a Twenty20 format from the usual ODI keeping the World T20 in mind and the need for the Asian teams to get some much-needed match time before the marquee event starts next month.
For India, who are considered as title contenders, a good Asia Cup performance will give them the much-needed boost going into the World T20.
This was against the backdrop of the controversial Rohit Sharma decision during the quarterfinal of the 50-over World Cup in Melbourne.
The ODI series last year saw the emergence of leftarm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who bamboozled the Indian batsmen with his variations. This tournament will also give ‘Men in Blue’ an opportunity to crack the ‘Mustafizur Code’, having failed miserably the last time round.
The Indians have started their T20 preparations in right earnest having won back-to-back series against Australia ‘Down Under’ and Sri Lanka at home.
In the six T20 internationals played this year, India have won five of them with the only defeat coming against Sri Lanka on an unusual Pune pitch in the last series.
If India reach the finals of the Asia Cup, it will be another five T20 matches, taking the number of matches to 11 before the start of the World T20, and according to Team Director Ravi Shastri would be “just what the doctor ordered.”
The team under Dhoni has looked set in the shortest format but the real test starts with the Asia Cup as the business end of the preparations commences.
Momentum will be key from now onwards and Dhoni's men will be keen to seize the initial advantage even though it won't be easy by any means against a Bangladesh side, which will be more than a handful on home soil.
Dhoni has indicated that he would give game time to all the 15 players in the squad.