India have secured a place in the 2025 Asia Cup final, where they will face the winner of Thursday’s Super Fours match between Bangladesh and Pakistan. With Sri Lanka already eliminated, their upcoming match against India on Friday has become a dead rubber. India booked their final spot with a 41-run victory over Bangladesh, a win that was both comfortable and, at times, uneasy.
Bangladesh never truly threatened India’s total of 169, as the depth and variety of India’s bowling exposed their weaknesses in the T20 format. However, they might feel they could have mounted a stronger challenge, especially after their bowlers had performed exceptionally well to restrict India when Abhishek Sharma had seemingly set the stage for a 200-plus score.
Abhishek maintained his outstanding form in the tournament, following a 39-ball 74 against Pakistan with a 37-ball 75 in this match. However, India struggled to maintain momentum whenever he was off the crease. Their innings mirrored Pakistan’s recent approach against India’s bowlers: a strong start followed by a noticeable slowdown as the ball aged and became harder to hit.
During overs 3–11, Abhishek dominated, scoring 95 runs, while India managed only 73 runs in the remaining 12 overs. Ultimately, his innings proved decisive. Bangladesh lacked a player with comparable power-hitting consistency, although Saif Hassan showed potential, smashing five sixes in a 51-ball 69. Here are some fans reaction:
India qualify for the Asia Cup final with an emphatic win against Bangladesh 👌#INDvBAN 📝: https://t.co/SV7NoGU8Tq pic.twitter.com/pL9iMMZbgV
— ICC (@ICC) September 24, 2025
Abhishek Sharma 💀#INDvsBAN #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/bWOdbmYldo
— Diksha 🌸 (@DikshaYrrr) September 24, 2025
Unstoppable everywhere 🫡✨
Abhishek Sharma | #PlayWithFire | #AsiaCup2025 | #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/M7uSVS6ctv
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) September 24, 2025
Abhishek Sharma 💪#INDvBAN #INDvsBAN pic.twitter.com/i9aPZAB1fb
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) September 24, 2025
Abhishek Sharma's batting and Kuldeep Yadav's bowling have become a nightmare for Bangladesh and Pakistan as India is here to badly defeat both their sons and not only defeat them but also humiliate them in the Asia Cup.#INDvBAN #INDvsBAN #AsiaCup2025pic.twitter.com/rflv6yHrnp
— Rahul Gupta (@RahulGupta25376) September 24, 2025
Abhishek Sharma & Kuldeep Yadav Today 🔥#INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/1AGCDHixRH
— Qasim Husain 🇮🇳 (@qasim_says_) September 24, 2025
Bangladesh start strongly
Bangladesh had an early chance to dismiss Abhishek for just 7 off 8 balls in the third over, but the wicketkeeper failed to hold an edge off Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Tanzim, making his way into a side with four changes, bowled brilliantly with the new ball, generating significant swing while hitting the deck hard.
The dropped chance came off Jaker Ali, who was standing in for Litton Das, ruled out with a side strain, and was also captaining Bangladesh for the match. That moment marked the end of the opening phase of the game, which Bangladesh controlled without being able to separate Abhishek and Shubman Gill.
Earlier, Tanzim had beaten Gill’s bat twice in the first over, and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed used his swinging arm ball effectively to take the ball away from Abhishek’s hitting arc in the second. Even by the end of the third over, India’s scoring rate remained below a run a ball.
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