India clinched a spot in the Asia Cup 2025 final with a hard-fought 41-run win over Bangladesh in their Super Fours matchup at Dubai International Stadium. Even with some fielding slip-ups and a middle-order wobble, the unbeaten Indian team advanced, knocking Sri Lanka out of contention. Now, Thursday’s Bangladesh-Pakistan clash turns into a do-or-die semi-final, with the winner set to face the world champions in the title fight.
India’s batters got off to a sluggish start, scraping just 17 runs in the first three overs after Bangladesh won the toss and chose to field. But openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill turned the tide, smashing 72 runs without loss in the powerplay—their best in this Asia Cup. Sharma led the charge with a explosive 75 off 37 balls, including his second fifty of the tournament, before a mix-up run-out ended his stay.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav pushed Shivam Dube up to number three, but that backfired as Dube fell for 2 off 3 balls. Rishad Hossain struck again soon after, removing Gill for 29 off 19 and later Suryakumar for 5, while also hitting the milestone of 150 T20I wickets to become Bangladesh’s first and only the fourth overall. Mustafizur Rahman joined the party by whipping off the bails on Sharma’s run-out, and Tanzim Hasan snared Tilak Varma for 5.
India tumbled to 104/5 by the 14th over, and Sanju Samson surprisingly didn’t bat. But Hardik Pandya steadied the ship with a quick 38 off 29, partnering with Axar Patel to push the score to 168/6. Bangladesh’s bowlers fought back in the death overs, leaking just 72 runs in the last 10, with Rishad topping the charts at 2/27.
In the chase of 169, Bangladesh’s Saif Hassan fought alone with a gritty 69, but India’s fielders dropped him four times—on 40, 65, 66, and 67—before Axar Patel finally pouched the catch. Jasprit Bumrah kicked off the defense perfectly, grabbing Tanzid Hasan Tamim for 1 on his second ball. Saif and Parvez Hossain Emon added 42 for the second wicket, reaching 44/1 at the powerplay’s end.
Suryakumar smartly brought on Kuldeep Yadav, who struck immediately by dismissing Emon for 21 via a slog sweep to Abhishek. Boundaries stopped flowing as Towhid Hridoy holed out to Axar for 7 off 10. Varun Chakravarthy then cleaned up Shamim Hossain for a golden duck, leaving Saif without partners.
Kuldeep dominated the middle overs, taking Rishad Hossain and Tanzim Hasan Sakib on consecutive balls in the 17th to finish with 3/18. Tilak Varma sealed the deal by removing Mustafizur Rahman, wrapping Bangladesh at 127 all out in 19.4 overs.
Despite the win, India knows it has work to do on those dropped catches. Still, their bowlers stepped up big in this key Asia Cup 2025 cricket match, setting up an exciting final showdown.
India 168/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 75, Hardik Pandya 38; Rishad Hossain 2/27). Bangladesh 127 all out in 19.4 overs (Saif Hassan 69, Parvez Hossain Emon 21; Kuldeep Yadav 3/18).
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