Asia Cup: Will India-Bangladesh match be impacted by rain?
The last Super Fours game of the 2023 Asia Cup sees India take on Bangladesh. The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host this duel on September 15. As the Indian team has already qualified for the final and Bangladesh have been eliminated, the upcoming clash is a mere dead rubber. Here we look at the weather report of the duel.
Will rain play a part?
Rain has had a massive say in the ongoing tournament as most of the games have been affected by the non-cricket-friendly weather. As per Accuweather, a 65 percent chance of rain is predicted in the afternoon. Thunderstorms might be on display, with the expected cloud cover reaching 90 percent. Hence, the spells of rain are at least expected to cause a few interruptions.
PCB planned to move matches to Hambantota
As per ESPNcricinfo, the Pakistan Cricket Board, the official hosts of the tournament, wanted the games in Colombo to move to Hambantota. However, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) sent an email to them, stating that no changes in venues would be made. Though PCB reluctantly agreed, the board sent a letter to ACC president Jay Shah protesting the decision-making process.
Mushfiqur Rahim to miss the game
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim will miss this clash due to the birth of his child. His absence would dent Bangladesh's struggling batting line-up even further. Meanwhile, India have ticked most of their boxes. With the ICC Cricket World Cup being days away, the Men in Blue can test their bench strength. Mohammed Shami might get a game as Mohammed Siraj could be rested.
India, SL to meet in the final
As mentioned, the upcoming contest is a mere dead rubber as the finalists have already been decided. India will take on Sri Lanka in the summit clash on Sunday (September 17) in Colombo. The Lankan team advanced to the final with a thrilling two-wicket win (DLS method) over Pakistan on Thursday. India, meanwhile, are unbeaten in the competition so far.
A look at the Probable XI of both sides
Bangladesh (Probable XI): Mohammad Naim, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Litton Das (WK), Shakib Al Hasan (C), Towhid Hridoy, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Nasum Ahmed. India (Probable XI): Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami.
