Team India have been decimating oppositions in the ongoing Asia Cup. After beating hosts UAE, Pakistan and Oman in the group stage, the Men in Green outclassed their arch-rivals again in the first Super 4 fixture.
India’s next Super 4 clash is scheduled against Bangladesh in Dubai on Wednesday (September 24), and a victory here will put them in the Asia Cup 2025 final.
On the eve of the game, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are expected to bat at No. 3 and 4, which means Sanju Samson, despite looking distinctly uncomfortable, would need to figure out how to pace his innings at No. 5.
The wicketkeeper-batter made a laborious 17-ball 13 against Pakistan in the Super 4 match while playing at No. 5.
“Yeah, I think there’s two outings now, two decent chances and he’s still figuring out how to play that role. I think the wicket was a little bit tighter in the Pakistan game," ten Doeschate told reporters.
“But certainly with the way Shubman (Gill) and Abhi (Abhishek) are going at the top and you’ve got your captain batting at three and the way Tilak played (vs Pakistan), we’re really looking for a No.5.
“So we believe Sanju is the best man for that job and we’ve got no doubt that he’ll figure out how to play that role in the future," he added.
The Dutchman spoke about the team’s approach for the match against Bangladesh, emphasizing the principle of “respect everyone, fear no one."
The assistant coach also revealed that Team India were not satisfied with their performance against Pakistan, describing it as “scrappy."
“Our general principle is to respect everyone, fear no one. It is more about our process and what we are trying to achieve. The focus will be on putting our best game out again. We actually thought we were a bit scrappy against Pakistan. We were not happy with their performance. We just had a team meeting now, and as we always do, we try to address the things we feel we can be better at and more clinical at. So regardless whether it is Bangladesh or Oman or whoever we are facing, the guys tomorrow will be trying to put their best foot forward and give their best performance," he remarked.
