The 2016 Asia Cup T20 will start on Wednesday when India will take on the hosts Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.
Being the No.1 T20 side in the world, India will look to continue their hot form in the shortest format of the game.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh are raring to go and play their best game. They may not be the favourites to win the tournament, but they are a dangerous side at home.
One can expect a riveting clash when the neighbouring nations face off in opening match of the 2016 Asia Cup T20.
Here is a look at the key battles in the match.
1. Rohit Sharma vs Mustafizur Rahman: A contest cannot to watch out for. The last time these two had faced each other, the left-arm seamer Mustafizur got the better of the India opener Rohit. But the kind of form Rohit is in at the moment, it is going to be a tough task for the talented medium pacer to have the same kind of impact. Those off-cutters can trouble the best, but how effective it will be this time arounf, only time will tell.
2. Shikhar Dhawan vs Mashrafe Mortaza: The left-handed batsman from Delhi has also been in good touch recently with his willow. He was the highest scorer in the series against Sri Lanka. Dhawan and Rohit have given India just the kind of start that MS Dhoni wants in this format of the game. Bangladesh captain Mortaza will have to be effective against Dhawan in the early overs. Mortaza can swing the new ball and swing has always troubled the left-hander. But he has to be wary about his line and length because if he is wayward, Dhawan will pounce.
3. Virat Kohli vs Shakib Al Hasan: Kohli cannot do anything wrong at the moment. He is the only batsman in the world with an average of above 50 in T20 cricket. Kohli has been in superb form and he will look to continue that in the Asia Cup as well. Shakib is an intelligent bowler. He can deceive batsmen with his flight and chages of pace. He creates an angle when he bowls to a right-hander. His push-through balls are also deceptive. Kohli will have to be careful while playing this talented all-rounder.
4. Soumya Sarkar vs Ashish Nehra: The swashbuckling left-hander is a threat for India at the top of the order. Sarkar can run away with a game if he is on song. He is extremely efficient in giving Bangladesh good starts right at the top. Nehra will look to trouble Sarkar with his swing early on in the innings. The veteran left-arm seamer has the knack of giving India early breakthroughs, and that is exactly what they need when they face Bangladesh in the opening match of the Asia Cup 2016.
5. Mushfiqur Rahim vs R Ashwin: The pocket-sized dynamite that is Mushfiqur can cause serious havoc if he gets going. Mushfiqur is one of the best batsmen in the Bangladesh squad currently. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman hits the ball cleanly and thus India need someone like Ashwin to counter that. Ashwin's economy rate in the Sri Lanka series was just above 3 runs an over, which is outstanding in T20 cricket. Not only does he have an impressive economy rate, but he also picks up wickets. This one is surely going to one of the battles to watch out for.
