India and Bangladesh will meet in the Asia Cup final on September 28.
India and Bangladesh will lock horns in the final of the Asia Cup 2018 on September 28 in Dubai, UAE. While India have remained unbeaten in the 14th edition of the tournament, Bangladesh endured a topsy-turvy ride to the finals.
Bangladesh have now made the final for the 3rd time in the past 4 editions of the Asia Cup while India have won it the most times - six in total!
While many had wanted and predicted an India vs Pakistan final, fans should not be surprised at Bangladesh's presence in the final.
This Asia Cup has finally proved that the traditional hierarchies in Asian cricket have changed over the last few years. This becomes clear when we look at the ODI records of the teams since the Asia Cup 2012 when Bangladesh made it to the final for the first time.
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | W/L Ratio* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 81 | 39 | 39 | 1.00 |
| Bangladesh | 90 | 43 | 42 | 1.02 |
| India | 146 | 93 | 46 | 2.02 |
| Pakistan | 134 | 64 | 66 | 0.96 |
| Sri Lanka | 164 | 69 | 84 | 0.82 |
Graph showing the performance of Asian teams in ODIs since the Asia Cup 2012.
India and Bangladesh have the highest win-loss ratio amongst the Asian teams and hence are deservedly in the final. Afghanistan falls behind Bangladesh only so slightly which is reflected in their results in the ongoing tournament as well and there is no doubt that they are only going upwards.
The two traditional giants Pakistan and Sri Lanka however, find themselves at the bottom of the pile. This shows that the Asian rivalry is not just among two or three traditional giants anymore but has extended beyond.
It remains to be seen how Pakistan and Sri Lanka resurrect themselves and try to reclaim their lost touch in the coming years.
(*W/L Ratio in the table indicates the ratio of wins to losses for each team)
