- The Nidahas Trophy final will start in Colombo at 7 pm local time, 7 pm IST, 1:30 pm GMT.
- India have not lost a single T20I match against Bangladesh, winning all their seven previous encounters.
- Rohit Sharma's men are favorites to win the title on what is expected to be a batsman-friendly track.
A second-string Indian side will take on an experienced Bangladesh unit in the final match of Nidahas Trophy tri-nation T20I series at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo Sunday, March 18.
Bangladesh had stunned hosts Sri Lanka in the final group-stage match of the series Friday, March 16 in a last-over thriller by two wickets. Ugly scenes marred the closing stages of the pulsating tie but senior batsman Mahmudullah held his nerves amid the chaos and helped his side gun down 12 runs in the final over.
On the other hand, India comfortably cruised into the final after making a strong comeback following their five-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the series opener on March 6.
In the absence of senior campaigners Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, India have ridden on opener Shikhar Dhawan's consistent performances (188 runs, including two fifties) in the series. Skipper Rohit also returned to form, hitting a match-winning 61-ball 89 in the team's 17-run win over Bangladesh Wednesday, March 14.
Suresh Raina (103) and Manish Pandey (106) along with wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (56) have made key contributions to the team with the bat.
Meanwhile, Washington Sundar has been the pick of the bowlers for the Asian giants. The 18-year-old is on top of the bowling charts with seven wickets from four matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.87 despite bowling most of his overs inside the powerplay.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has also been tidy throughout the series but skipper Sharma would want his young fast bowlers, who have been on the expensive side, to step up and deliver in the big final.
On the other hand, Bangladesh, who have not managed to beat India in T20Is (seven defeats), will be banking on their senior campaigners to help stun Rohit's men.
Despite receiving flak for their unruly behavior Friday, the Tigers will be high on confidence. Bangladesh though need to maintain their composure if they are to test Rohit's men and clinch a famous win in Colombo.
Live stream and TV coverage
- India: TV - DSport, DD National; Live stream - Watch DSport, DSport on Jio TV
- Sri Lanka: SLRC (Channel Eye); Live stream - Channel Eye
- Bangladesh: TV - GTV
- UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand: Live stream - Yupp TV
Possible playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (w), Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (w), Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Islam.
