Bangladesh aren’t just still alive in Asia Cup 2025, but have a realistic chance of making the final with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka all but out of the tournament. There’s little doubt that Bangladesh’s chances hinge on the bowlers. The same bowlers Tanzid later called “world-class” after the Afghanistan game, grinning like he already knew the headline would run with it.
Let’s be real: if the win over Afghanistan was inspired by the bowlers, the Super Fours win over Sri Lanka showed their batting depth. Bangladesh had to scrap for every run, but they were present in moments that mattered and ensured the job was completed.
What has stood out in the tournament so far isn’t just the execution, but the depth they’ve managed to build. From the Sri Lanka game early in the tournament, Bangladesh made some bold switches: out went Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Shoriful Islam, in came Nurul Hasan for batting insurance, Taskin Ahmed to add experience up front, and Nasum as the tactical pick.
It worked like a charm. Afghanistan’s top-heavy line-up struggles against left-arm spin, and Nasum is tailor-made for that role. By the time Mustafizur started mixing his cutters at the death and Rishad added attacking wrist spin in the middle overs, the pressure had built up perfectly.
When Sri Lanka came around in the Super Fours, Bangladesh had changes ready for them: Shoriful Islam was back to counter the Sri Lankan top-order and Mahedi Hasan returned to tackle the lefties. Shoriful went for runs, but Mahedi sealed the job with two big wickets.
The bowling has stepped up with performances that makes Tanzid’s “world-class” comment feel less like fluff and more like a quiet warning. Remember, they are also missing big names in Nahid Rana, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Hasan Mahmud due to varied reasons.
But, on paper, even with the bowlers in this Asia Cup, Bangladesh now have a left-arm spinner who takes powerplay wickets, a wrist spinner who hunts in the middle, two frontline pacers with very different skillsets, and Mustafizur to ice games at the death. That’s a bowling spine most teams would envy, and in these UAE conditions, it can punch above its weight.
And then there’s India. The big boss of the Asia Cup, walking in like they own the place. First game? They rolled over the UAE for just 57, chased it down in less time than it takes to brew a pot of chai: 4.3 overs flat. Blink and you’d have missed it.
Then came Pakistan. If ever there was a test, it was that one, or so it was said. India simply shut them down at 127/9, a score exaggerated by some Shaheen Afridi’s wild heaves, and strolled to the target with seven wickets and four overs in hand. No fuss, no drama, just a ruthless job well done. They sleep-walked a game against Oman, but if that created any doubts, another demolition job against Pakistan confirmed their status as the best T20I side in world cricket.
ALSO READ:
This tournament is theirs to lose and there is no doubting that. In fact, an India A team might just easily beat any other team in this Asia Cup. It’s just the truth.
Kuldeep Yadav is ripping through sides, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel are tying batters in knots, and the batting line-up goes so deep you half-expect the team bus driver to walk in at No. 9 with a bat. Oh, and let’s not forget the Bumrah twist: India are using him up top in the powerplay, three overs on the bounce, which is great for dinner to be served early. They’re practically untouchable.
So here’s the question: can Bangladesh bite back? Against most sides, India look untouchable. Against this Bangladesh bowling attack, though, there’s at least a sliver of intrigue.
The Dubai pitch is slow, sticky, and spin-friendly. It’s perfect for Nasum’s skiddy darts in the powerplay and Rishad’s wrist-spin in the middle overs. Mustafizur still has that cutter to make batters swear under their breath at the death. And Taskin probably just gets that extra nip and bounce to trouble India batters. Then there’s Tanzim Hasan, who has troubled India in the past, and Shoriful Islam, who can swing the new ball. India have counters to most of these, but again, it’s not a one-sided battle that can be outright written off as a no-contest.
The other crack, if you could call it that, in India’s armour is their bowling blueprint. Bumrah’s overs are being front-loaded and he also looks below his best, and suddenly the back-end looks a touch less scary with Hardik the only other pacer. The Pakistan and Oman game showed glimpses of this. If Bangladesh can survive the Bumrah burst and put India’s spinners under scoreboard pressure, there’s a world where this gets interesting.
Nobody’s pretending this is a 50-50 fight. It’s not even 80-20. India are the juggernaut, the side with trophies in their backpack and swagger in their walk. But dark horses don’t need even footing, they need moments.
And Bangladesh, with their bowling unit that doubles in value in these conditions, might just have the tools to create those moments. The batting might wobble against India’s incredible bowling firepower, but get the toss right and if the bowlers can put on a show, suddenly the mountain might not look quite as steep.
So, world-class? Maybe not yet. Dangerous enough to give India a scare? Maybe. Just a maybe. Only if the battle ever happens. A lot of ifs and buts. But if the stars align under the desert lights, the “dark horse” tag could suddenly look a lot shinier.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
