
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl against Bangladesh in the final of the 2018 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Speaking after the toss, Sharma said, "Going to field first. That's what we've done the whole tournament. Runs on the board is important, but we've done well fielding first throughout the tournament, so I feel like we don't need to change anything. The guys have delivered over course of the tournament, and there's just one last hurdle to cross."
"The guys have come out and delivered and that's the reason I am standing here today. We are ready for it. The whole purpose was to qualify for the final and wait for this wonderful day. We've got to play the same kind of cricket."
"All five guys who missed out in the last game are back for the final. I can understand the feelings of the guys who are missing out after just one game, but we have to go with the demands of the team," he added.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be playing without veteran stars Tamim Iqbal and Shakib al Hasan.
Talking about their strategy for today, skipper Mashrafe Mortaza said, "
Credit goes to the boys for the way they stood out in the last few games. Today is another big match butw e have to take the pressure off, play hard, and fight it out till the last ball."
"Mominul is not playing, left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam comes in - we're going with 5 bowlers today. They (India) are the best side for a reason. We have a great chance but there is always the pressure in a final so we're just going out there and looking to win the game," he added.
Teams:
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Liton Das(w), Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w), Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah