Why Bangladesh Pose Bigger Threat To India Than Pakistan In Asian Cricket

On the eve of the Asia Cup final between India and Bangladesh in Dubai, some fans were busy selling off their tickets. And the number of dejected fans was considerably high.

India defeated Bangladesh by three runs in a thrilling finale with the winning run coming off the final ball via a leg bye. It's a fitting finish to an engrossing tournament. But for those fans who had sold off their tickets, the match didn’t really matter. For, that's not the match-up they had expected.

They were expecting an India-Pakistan final and have had tickets to the big final booked well in advance. But their plan was ambushed by Bangladesh. It, however, presented a new perspective into the regional cricket rivalries. And it's likely to be a new reality.

Khaleej Times quoted a fan saying, "Since our team couldn't qualify, there is no point in spending such a huge amount to watch the final match between India and Bangladesh."

Pakistan failed to qualify for the final after losing to Bangladesh in the final Super Four match, which became a virtual semi-final.

"Though Pakistan team had lost the first two match of the Asia Cup, still I would go to watch the final. We know every day is a different day and despite Pakistan losing two early matches against India, we would expect the team to make a comeback. I would have bought the ticket even on premium to watch the match," said Adil, a dejected Pakistani fan.

Bangladesh are ready to replace Pakistan as the greatest rival to challenge India's might. Once regarded as probably the greatest rivalry in the sport, India-Pakistan matches have now become one-sided affairs. Despite carrying a historical burden, India have dominated Pakistan, often reducing the storied rivalry to non-starters.

In contrast, Bangladesh have managed to challenge India whenever the teams go head-to-head. If Bangladesh manage to sustain the stunning improvement they have gained in the few years, at least in white-ball cricket, they can truly challenge for titles.

Also, with Sri Lanka fighting their own existential crisis, and Afghanistan still too raw for the grind of highest class cricket, Bangladesh are the best side to keep India honest in their bid to maintain regional supremacy.

And spurring such a massive growth in the game is their cricket stars. Since Bangladesh become an ICC Full member in 2000, cricketers have become bona fide superstars. With a huge pool of talented players honing their skills in some of the best facilities in the region, Bangladesh cricket has only the best things to come.

The Friday's final showed the many positives that have seeped into Bangladesh cricket. Bangladesh have matured, and they know no fear. They are ready to evolve as a cricketing powerhouse with a reliable conveyor belt. The emergence of Liton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, etc has reinforced that fact that there's no dearth of talent in Bangladesh, just like other countries in the subcontinent.

The move to promote Mehidy Hasan to open with Das was as brave as it gets. They might have been forced to take such a drastic action due to the absence of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, but doing it against the favourites in the final was indeed a sign of their fearlessness, which again, is a sign of coming of age.

An India-Pakistan final might have boosted ticket sells but considering the lopsided nature of the last two matches between the sides, one should thank Bangladesh for giving a final worthy of the finale.

This was Bangladesh's third final appearance in the last four editions. All three finals were close encounters – Pakistan winning 2012 final by two runs, India winning 2016 final in the second last over, and yesterday, India escaping with a leg-bye off the last ball. A few lucky calls would have given at least a couple of titles to Bangladesh.