Heroic Kedar Jadhav wins India title in last-ball thriller
India looked like they would win easily after they restricted Bangladesh to 222, but Mashrafe Mortaza and his boys made the Asia Cup final go down to the very last ball
India looked like they would win easily after they restricted Bangladesh to 222, but Mashrafe Mortaza and his boys made the Asia Cup final go down to the very last ball
Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: Sreshth Shah
12.25am After two long weeks, India are crowned Asia Cup Champions for the seventh time. Rohit allows Khaleel Ahmed, the youngster, to raise the trophy. The celebrations will continue all night for certain in Dubai. Thanks for your company, folks. The cricket continues with Pakistan hosting Australia, India hosting West Indies and Sri Lanka hosting England soon. Till then, it's good bye from all of us at ESPNcricinfo. On behalf of Varun Shetty, this is Sreshth Shah signing off.
12.14am We're ready with the presentation.
Rohit Sharma, the winning captain, collects the winners' cheque. He says, "We played some good cricket through the tournament and this is the reward for hard work. We've put in a complete performance. We dominated the entire tournament and this is the reward. Games like these can happen, and I've been part of such encounters before. But credit to the boys out there to handle the pressure towards the end. And to cross the finishing line was a great effort. Bangladesh batted brilliantly, put us under pressure early. But we knew that we could get back when the ball becomes older. It was important to keep the pressure building, and it was something we did well in doing. With a team so good, the captain always looks good. But it's not easy without the support of the ten other players, so credit to them. Last but not the least, thanks to the crowd. Right from the beginning, they've come in huge numbers."
Mashrafe Mortaza collects the runners-up cheque. He says, "Yes, we played with our heart. We played till the last ball, but we did mistakes with both bat and ball. If you look at our bowling, everytime we score more than 240 we win the matches. That's what we asked from the batsmen. But in the end, the bowlers did a really good job. The way India were scoring, it was important to bowl Mustafizur in the 49th, because they were scoring every ball. So couldn't introduce a spinner at that stage."
Rahul Bansal: "Someone please praise UAE as well... They did very well to host this fantastic tournament after it was moved from India... The infrastructure to host an international sporting event is amazing and was very evident in this Asia Cup... "
Liton Das is the Man of the Match for his maiden ODI hundred.
Shikhar Dhawan is the Man of the Series. He says, "Really enjoyed this tournament. Fantastic final, and really good tournament for myself. Enjoyed my batting and want to continue this way. England tour has helped me become mature, and I was playing more balanced in this tournament. Want to remain consistent. Helps to have Rohit as the partner. His consistency at the top matters for me as well. He plays the aggressor's role, sometimes I do. And he too had a great Asia Cup."
Manoj: "How about MOM for Dhoni??? he was the one who made it interesting?"
'12.04am Lots in store for ya'll, still. The presentation and reactions from both captains to come soon. And who should the Man of the Match be? My vote goes to Liton Das.
Arun : "I think Pandya's injury was blessing in disguise considering the conditions"
Bhai: "Brilliant tourney was kinda hoping that Bangladesh wud win, for a change.. " -- Not gonna lie, same here. But the better side won.
Mohammed Ansari: "Congratulation to India for defending their title. But I want thanks and congratulate Bangladesh too. The way they defends their small score in such a batting field like Dubai, it was amazing. For me Mash is one of world class captain. Thanks Mash and all team members. Great day."
GSM: "Baton of last over win passed on from Dhoni to Jadhav"
Agrim: "Sreshth I tuned in because you were on comms :)) what a game to watch at 4am!" -- cheers, bro. Sleep tight! Are there Indians celebrating in Singapore too?
Snehil: "This might sound far-fetched but making Rohit the captain for ODIs wouldn't be such a bad thing. It is obvious now that he is a better and shrewder captain than Virat. It would be a very bold move but it should certainly be put up to debate."
Asim: "Dear commentator ! R u a bengali ? Seems like though" -- yes, I am!
Akash Anand : "This might be an unpopular opinion but i think With the tactical awareness Rohit has shown throughout the tournament (fielding placement, bowling changes) he is a better captain than Kohli "
Sid N: "MyMOM would be Kedar Jadhav. Bowled nicely, picked up 2 wickets and stayed till the end fighting with injuries to guide India home"
Hareen: "Being an Indian, I still want the MOM to go to Lithon Das!!"
Ajith Pai: "Ja(deja, dhav)..tujhe salaam!"
Varahan: "As usual thank you espncricinfo for your fantastic coverage. If it's cricket, it's got to be you. Let's give India their due as well besides praising Afghan or Bangladesh. We had an awesome tournament, except for a minor reality check Against HK. Restricting an opposition to 222 after a century stand stamps our authority. Overall, India dominated everyone else."
Om Pashupati: "Did not miss an India-Pakistan final at all. A match worthy of a final. Slowly but surely, the pecking order in Asian cricket is changing. Ind-Pak rivalry giving way to Ind-Ban rivalry !"
Ajith Pai: "Bangladesh and Afghanistan shall be holding their heads high. Extremely well paid. High quality cricket all around. And congratulations to my country India!"
Vignesh : "My hero for tonite.. Bhuvi for that massive six against Rubel. "
Chandu : "This tournament has been a real treat to all the Asians, and cricket fans all over the world. "
Bharath: "@Abhasagarwal because it was pitching outside leg and impact was also outside leg"
Abhasagarwal: "I wonder why did Bangladesh not take a review on the last ball. It was close I guess"
11.54pm And after 98.3 overs of cricket, India clinch the Asia Cup. They defend their title, but man, this game got really close. The teams walk off as the fireworks continue into the night. Ma tujhe salaam plays across the ground.
Ravi Shastri: "Different format to England. Everyone knows how well we played in England. That scoreline doesn't reflect. But this is a different format, and what I like is the intensity. People may have thought that after two and a half months, the guys would be flat. And they were against Hong Kong, but they've pulled themselves up well. The ability to keep taking wickets in the middle is the real positive sign. And then the spinners. But the biggest plus, is the fielding. Game after game, we saved around 25-30 runs. And it's heartening under such difficult conditions. Rohit looked in control as captain, even when the going got tough. He did well to keep Bangladesh down to 223, which was brilliant."
Bhuvneshwar: "Hong Kong game was a wake-up call. After that, I was really happy. Because on these wickets you need to force mistakes from the batsmen. Consistency with line and length is the key here."
Jadeja: "I was out for almost 15 months, so wasn't feeling good. I was thinking whenever I get the opportunity, I wanted to prove myself. To myself, not to anyone else. Good to improve my own skills. You need to prove yourself whenever you get the opportunity, especially if you know everyone's watching you."
Jadhav: "I've been in this situation few months back. Knew field will be up for the final ball. Besides, Kuldeep, the way he batted, I knew we can win if we went to the last ball. I may have a grade 1 or 2 tear. I'm still a batsman who can bowl (laughs).
Anthony: "OMG what a match...Though India won the game it was Afghan and now Bangla who won our hearts.."
Kuldeep: "He just asked me to back myself. He was running well too, and thanks to him we've won. The wicket was good to bat on today, as compared to the last game. Bit slower, but as long as you play it tends to get better. I've scored a lot of runs in first-class cricket, so I'll call myself a bowling allrounder (laughs).
venkatesh koka: "Rohit captaincy has a tendency to produce last ball thrillers. Remember the Nihadas trophy final and also countless MI encounters!!!"
Mahneel Musa: "Take a bow, Bangladesh. They've certainly learnt how to put up a show in the big stage. Brilliant game of cricket. Win for Asia!"
Rajesh Lokhande: "India wins the 7th Asia Cup, and the Bangla Tigers won Billion Hearts !!! Long live Cricket !"
Naveen Sajjan: "Great effort by Bangladesh, took the match to full 50 overs. Great escape by India, Bangladesh again stranded, as usual."
Baba Fasi: "Thanks to Kedars injury to make this match such an interesting one!!! "
Ashish Tandon: "Paisa vasool tournament!"
One needed off 1 ball. This is it, folks. This is it. Cricket at it's best. Will we see a Super Over? The fielders are all inside the circle. Advantage India. And Mahmudullah pulls out of the delivery to tie his shoelaces! Suspense!
India need 2 off 2. Long on's coming in. Long off on the boundary.
over the wicket to Jadhav
Final over. What a terrific tournament this has been. I just can't stop repeating myself. Looks like it's Soumya Sarkar! Can he bury the ghosts of the Nidahas Trophy loss? Remember, it was DK who smacked him for a final-ball six in that game. Here's Kuldeep to face him. Oh wait. Mashrafe has changed his mind at the last moment. It's going to be Mahmudullah. It's all happenin'! Nerves all around. Wonder if the choice was because Kuldeep's the left-hander. Man, this is tense. Around the wicket to the batsman.
The stand-in captain told the players before the Asia Cup to perform as if they were playing domestic cricket. He said it was "to ensure there's no insecurity within"
The Bangladesh captain rued another batting collapse and gave credit to his bowlers for performing well throughout the tournament
Right through the Asia Cup, Bangladesh's middle order had made up for their misfiring top order. In the final, the roles were reversed
Bangladesh sprang a surprise with an unusual opening pair, who added a century stand, but Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav combined to throw them off their plans
India looked like they would win easily after they restricted Bangladesh to 222, but Mashrafe Mortaza and his boys made the Asia Cup final go down to the very last ball