Dubai: Abhishek Sharma’s quickfire fifty, supported by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, powered India to a 41-run victory over Bangladesh in a Super 4s clash, securing a place in the Asia Cup final on Wednesday.
Setting a target of 169, India restricted Bangladesh to 127 all out in 19.3 overs.
With Sri Lanka losing both their Super 4 matches, they are now out of contention, making Thursday’s Pakistan-Bangladesh encounter a virtual knockout for a spot in Sunday’s final.
Kuldeep Yadav (3/18), Axar Patel (1/37), and Varun Chakravarthy (2/29) were the main wicket-takers for India, while Saif Hassan top-scored for Bangladesh with 69 off 51 balls.
India’s innings was anchored by opener Abhishek, who smashed 75 off 37 balls. He and Shubman Gill (29) put on a blistering 77-run opening partnership in just 6.2 overs, giving India a strong start. However, after their dismissals, the middle order couldn’t maintain the momentum, and India finished with 168/6 in 20 overs.
Brief scores: India 168/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 77, Shubman Gill 29, Hardik Pandya 38) defeated Bangladesh 127 all out in 19.3 overs (Saif Hassan 69; Kuldeep Yadav 3/18, Varun Chakravarthy 2/29, Axar Patel 1/37) by 41 runs.
