India stormed into the Asia Cup final on Wednesday after a dominant 41-run win over Bangladesh in Dubai, with head coach Gautam Gambhir’s social media post soon grabbing attention.Shortly after the victory, Gambhir took to social media with a simple three-word message: “Into the finals.” The post quickly went viral as fans celebrated India’s entry into another Asia Cup title clash.
On the field, opener Abhishek Sharma once again delivered with the bat, smashing 75 off just 37 balls. His innings, featuring six sixes and five fours, set the platform for India’s total of 168 for six. Speaking after the match, Abhishek kept his approach straightforward. “I was just doing my job,” he said. “I have told before as well that I do not think much (while going in to bat) and go with the flow. If it is in my range, even if it is the first ball, I go for it.” Abhishek and Shubman Gill added quick runs at the top before Bangladesh’s spinners fought back. Hardik Pandya’s 38 made sure that India reached a competitive score. Defending the total, India’s bowlers took charge. Jasprit Bumrah struck early and Kuldeep Yadav ran through the Bangladesh middle order with figures of 3 for 18. The left-arm spinner now has 12 wickets in five matches this tournament. Bangladesh, missing injured captain Litton Das, ended with 127 in 19.3 overs despite a fighting 69 from Saif Hassan. Stand-in captain Jaker Ali looked ahead to their final Super Four game. “We can take lots of things from this game,” he said. “Let’s see what kind of combination we are going to go (in Thursday’s match) but we will give our best.”
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The result confirmed India’s place in Sunday’s final, while eliminating Sri Lanka from contention. Pakistan and Bangladesh will battle for the remaining spot in their clash on Thursday.
