New Delhi: India open their Asia Cup 2016 campaign against hosts Bangladesh on Wednesday, and the side will be keen to keep their in-form run going strongly.
The first Twenty20 game is being played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur in Dhaka.
Here are the important things one must know ahead of the game.
Team news: The major question lies as in whether skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will start the game or not. Dhoni, who suffered a muscle spasm during training, was reported skipping practice on the eve of the match. His replacement Parthiv Patel, is likely to take the field and come to bat lower down the order.
India is unlikely to risk Dhoni with the ICC Twenty20 World Cup round the corner, as there lies a big chance for Parthiv to excel, if he gets a chance to bat. Apart from this, Dhoni's deputy Virat Kohli, makes a return to the side and will replace Ajinkya Rahane.
Bangladesh will have to decide as to who will partner Soumya Sarkar at the top. Imrul Kayes was was called in the Asia Cup squad for the on-leave Tamim Iqbal, and is one of the choices, while Mohammad Mithun fills the other slot. The latter could get the nod given he is in the T20 World Cup squad too.
Bangladesh also might opt for Nurul Hasan in the wicketkeeping role. That will leave first choice Mushfiqur Rahim to just concentrate on batting.
Pitch conditions: With the playing surface expected to be a good batting surface assisting pacers early on, it is likely that Hardik Pandya will be preferred above Pawan Negi or Harbhajan Singh.
Weather conditions: There is a good chance that the game might be affected by rain. In the morning the conditions were overcast with drops of rain. But the sun came out moments later to highlight the unpredictability of the weather in Dhaka.
Possible starting XI:
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah.
Bangladesh: Mohammad Mithun (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Nurul Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Arafat Sunny, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed.
The match will start at 7:00 pm IST.
