Dubai, Sep 24 (NationPress) Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy were the stars with the ball, combining for five wickets as India triumphed over Bangladesh by 41 runs, securing their place in the final of the Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

This victory meant Sri Lanka was eliminated from the tournament, and a virtual knockout match will take place between Pakistan and Bangladesh to determine the second finalist.

For Bangladesh, opener Saif Hassan stood out as the top scorer with 69 runs, despite being dropped three times, including twice in an over bowled by Varun Chakravarthy. He was granted additional chances by Axar Patel and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who missed a catch on his own call.

Besides Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon contributed 21 runs as they formed a 42-run partnership for the second wicket. However, the rest of the Bangladeshi lineup struggled to make an impact as the Indian spinners dominated the middle overs. Kuldeep's figures of 3-18 and Chakravarthy's 2-29 accounted for half of the Bangladeshi side. Jasprit Bumrah made a strong comeback, taking 2-18 in his four overs.

Earlier, Abhishek Sharma ignited India's innings with a spectacular 75 runs off just 37 balls, propelling the team to a total of 168/6 in 20 overs.

This explosive performance not only provided India with a robust start but also allowed Abhishek to surpass his mentor Yuvraj Singh for the most T20I innings by an Indian with five or more sixes, reaching six such innings, second only to Rohit Sharma (13) and Suryakumar Yadav (9). He also set a new Asia Cup record with 17 sixes in the 2025 edition, the highest in any single tournament across formats.

After being put to bat by stand-in Bangladesh captain Jaker Ali, India came out aggressively during the powerplay. Shubman Gill got off to a good start, but it was Abhishek who accelerated, punishing any loose deliveries. He was lucky when Jaker Ali dropped a catch, a mistake he would regret as Abhishek capitalized on it. The Indian openers raced to 72/0 in just six overs, taking command of the match.

However, Bangladesh fought back strongly after the powerplay, with Shubman Gill dismissed for 29 off 19 balls by Rishad Hossain.

In a surprising move, India sent Shivam Dube in at number 3 to tackle the spinners, but the tactic backfired as he went out for just 2 runs. Suryakumar Yadav then joined Abhishek, and they added a quick 29 runs off 13 balls before Rishad Hossain's brilliant fielding resulted in Abhishek's dismissal for a brilliant 75, halting India's momentum.

The innings lost its rhythm after that, with Suryakumar struggling to find his form and getting out for 5 off 11, while Tilak Varma could only muster 5 runs. Hardik Pandya played a crucial role in stabilizing the innings with a composed 38, helping India cross 165, although Axar Patel struggled for momentum, finishing with just 10 runs off 15 balls.

Despite a fiery beginning, India ended with 168/6 from their 20 overs, with only 70 runs scored in the last 10 overs. Rishad Hossain was the standout bowler for Bangladesh with figures of 2/27, contributing significantly to the team's performance.

Brief scores:

India 168/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 75, Hardik Pandya 38; Rishad Hossain 2-27, Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-29) beat Bangladesh 127 all out in 19.3 overs (Saif Hassan 69, Parvez Hossain Emon 21; Kuldeep Yadav 3-18, Varun Chakravarthy 2-29) by 41 runs.