Dubai, Sep 23: Dubai will host another intriguing chapter of the Asia Cup when India meet Bangladesh in the Super Fours.

For India, the match follows yet another commanding victory over Pakistan, a contest that led captain Suryakumar Yadav to confidently assert that the word “rivalry” no longer fits. “Where is the rivalry?” he questioned, referencing India’s dominant head-to-head record in recent years.

His words, which might have sounded arrogant in another context, reflected the sheer weight of India’s record since the start of 2024: 32 wins in 35 T20Is, a run that has elevated them into perhaps the most formidable T20I side assembled.

Bangladesh, however, arrive in Dubai with quiet confidence. They stunned Sri Lanka in the first round, capitalising on the slow conditions to their advantage. Mahedi Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman combined superbly in that match, their 8-0-45-5 suffocating Sri Lanka’s middle order and setting up a famous victory.

The challenge now is to replicate that effort against India, a team against whom Bangladesh’s record is stark: 16 defeats in 17 T20Is. Still, with the same surface expected to play slowly and the extreme heat in Dubai, they will believe the conditions can tilt the balance in their favour.

India’s top order appears immovable, with Abhishek Sharma’s sparkling 74 against Pakistan underlining his explosive partnership with Shubman Gill. Tilak Varma and Suryakumar add further ballast, while the experiment with Sanju Samson in the middle order continues.

Clearly, the team management wants Samson in the XI, even if it means adjusting his role. The early signs suggested some discomfort when he faced an older ball, but another opportunity here could be revealing. Against him will be Mustafizur’s variations, doubly potent on slow surfaces.

For Bangladesh, captain Litton Das should be fit despite a back strain that kept him cautious in training. They are also weighing up whether to persist with Shoriful Islam, who was expensive against Sri Lanka, or bring in Tanzim Hasan. Much will rest, however, on whether their spinners and cutters can disrupt India’s rhythm through the middle overs.

The conditions in Dubai promise another slow-burn contest, with scoring likely to be difficult once the ball softens. Temperatures soaring into the high 30s will add another test of stamina and concentration. The numbers still heavily favour India, but Bangladesh know they are only one inspired performance away from turning the script.

India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma.

Bangladesh squad: Litton Das (c), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Shaif Uddin

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