Asia Cup 2025: "Looking at their bowling..."- Suryakumar Yadav reveals thinking behind 'failed move' of sending Shivam Dube at three against Bangladesh

Suryakumar Yadav-led India have become the first finalists of Asia Cup 2025.

Indian Cricket Team became the first finalists of Asia Cup 2025 as they defeated Bangladesh Cricket Team in their second Super Four clash on Wednesday, September 24. After the victory, skipper Suryakumar Yadav hailed his bowlers for their marvellous job, saying that his team would win on most occasions if the bowlers deliver 12-14 good overs in any match.

India, who played with the same playing XI as the last match, were asked to bat first and they had a solid start. Openers Abhishek Sharma (75) and Shubman Gill (29) stitched an opening stand of 77 runs. However, middle-order batters failed to go big and lost their wickets cheaply.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led side also changed their batting order, sending Shivam Dube at three, while Sanju Samson didn’t get to bat. This also contributed to their batting failure as they looked clueless in the middle phase.

Later, Hardik Pandya added 38 runs to drive the scoreboard to 168/6, which at one moment seemed impossible to chase. In the chase, Bangladesh opener Saif Hassan (69) hammered a marvellous half-century. However, his knock went in vain as other batters failed to support him. Getting bowled out for 127 runs, they lost the clash by 41 runs.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav grabbed the limelight once again, clinching a three-wicket haul. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy picked two scalps each, while Axar Patel and Tilak Varma got one wicket.

Suryakumar Yadav lauds Indian bowling unit after victory against Bangladesh

During the post-match presentation, Suryakumar expressed his trust in the Indian bowling unit, saying that if their bowlers bowl 12-14 good overs, they will win on most occasions. He also shared the thinking behind sending Shivam Dube at three.

“If the outfield would have been really fast, it would have been 180-185 but with the bowling lineups we have, if we bowl 12-14 good overs, we will win on most occasions,” he said.

“We didn’t get to bat first in this tournament, I think we batted first against Oman but we wanted to bat first in the Super Fours and see how it goes. Looking at their bowling lineup, they had a left-arm spinner and a leg spinner, I think Dube was perfect for that occasion in that 7-15 overs range. But it didn’t work, that’s how things go,” he added.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma won Player of the Match award for his impeccable half-century in the match. Now, India will face Sri Lanka in their next match of Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to be played on September 26. They will be having a keen eye on the Bangladesh vs Pakistan encounter as winners of that game will meet them in the final. The match will be played on September 25 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

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