Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has admitted on Thursday (September 19) that Virat Kohli’s absence in the ongoing Asia Cup 2018 is not only an advantage for the Tigers but also for the rest of the teams in the tournament.
He also admitted that Kohli’s absence will work as an advantage for Bangladesh when they will take on the Men in Blue in the Super 4 phase of the Asia Cup league match on Friday (September 20).
The talismanic Indian batsman was rested for the tournament following grueling England tour and in his absence, Rohit Sharma is leading India in the 14th edition of the Asia Cup.
Mortaza told Times of India, “Why only Bangladesh, his (Kohli) absence is an advantage for everyone. We are also missing Tamim Iqbal which can be an advantage for every other team. His record speaks for itself as he has been a star for Bangladesh. Obviously, his absence will be a big blow for us but it also presents a huge opportunity for the other youngsters.”
Besides India-Pakistan encounter, there is also a fare amount of hype during India-Bangladesh clashes since the infamous 2015 World Cup quarterfinal match in Melbourne but the Bangladesh skipper insisted that the Tigers are over that match and focussing on the job at hand in their next match against India.
Mashrafe signed off by saying, “There is a lot of hype in India-Pakistan matches. There is also a fair bit of hype when we play against India. We haven't played much against India. We played them in Champions Trophy semifinal last year, defeated them in a home series and nearly beat them in World T20. It doesn't matter if we play India or not, we want to win against all teams.”
Bangladesh have already progressed to the Super 4 stage of the tournament and will face India, Afghanistan and Pakistan in a bid to make it to the finals of the tournament.
