Ahead of their crucial Super 4 Asia Cup fixture against India on Wednesday, Bangladesh are sweating over the availability of their captain Litton Das. According to reports, the wicketkeeper batsman sustained a back injury during their training session at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai on Tuesday.
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According to reports, Das who was batting in the nets suffered a back strain while playing a cut shot and didn’t take any further part in the training session. “We will have a look at him (Litton) today because from outside he looks quite okay, but we need to conduct a medical assessment before making a final call,” a BCB official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
In case Das isn’t fit to take the field against India, it is not clear who will captain Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board hasn’t named a vice-captain for the tournament. Having got to the Super 4 stage from a tough Group B which also included Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong, Bangladesh have already got off to a winning start in this round.
Having gone down to Sri Lanka in the group fixture, they avenged their defeat in no time, beating their rivals by four wickets last Saturday.
Going to their game against India, Bangladesh would feel confident as the conditions in Dubai have been quite comfortable for them. In slow conditions, their spinners have done a commendable job and even left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman produced a match-winning performance against Sri Lanka. But their head-to-head record against India which reads 16-1 may not give them much confidence.
Having moved on from their senior pros, Bangladesh have enough firepower in their batting unit and also a good variety of pacers, who could on their day trouble Indians. And if the conditions continue to be on the slower side, Bangladesh know they have spinners – Mahidy Hasan, in particular to tighten the screws in the middle-overs like they did against Sri Lanka.
India, having comfortably beaten Pakistan for the second time this tournament, will undoubtedly start as favourites. The last time the two teams met in a bilateral series, India blanked Bangladesh 3-0 with Sanju Samson coming up with a match-wining knock.
