NEW DELHI: After a convincing victory over Pakistan, India's battle-tested side will take on Bangladesh in a potentially high-tension Asia Cup Super 4 clash on Wednesday, where quality spin bowling is expected to test the visitors.

On paper, the matchup seems one-sided, with Bangladesh having managed just a single win in 17 T20 encounters against India.

However, the rivalry has grown more intense since the 2015 ODI World Cup, particularly after the controversial reprieve for Rohit Sharma at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a moment that continues to fuel passions among young, partisan fans who see India as a formidable adversary.

Off the field, strained diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh following the political upheaval that led to the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina government have added another layer of tension to this cricketing contest.

The BCCI had even postponed a white-ball series, originally slated for August this year, to 2026, contingent on the presence of a democratically elected government.

On paper, Bangladesh appear no match for India. T20Is are not traditionally their forte, and if things go according to form, Suryakumar Yadav’s men could record another comprehensive victory.

However, the unpredictable nature of the format and Bangladesh's comparatively stronger spin attack mean an upset cannot be entirely ruled out.

However, it is the gulf in standard of batters across two sides that is ultimately going to be the difference.

In the Indian team, one opener Abhishek Sharma is in the form of his life, scoring runs at a strike rate of nearly 210, while his partner in crime Shubman Gill has propped up his to nearly 158 rate after the last Pakistan game.

In comparison, Bangladesh's two best T20 batters -- skipper Litton Das (129 plus) and Towhid Hridoy (SR 124 plus) have mediocre numbers to show for their efforts.

Bangladesh's best chance is to make India bat first and expect that Mustafizur Rahman, at the death, and the two spinners -- leg-break bowler Rishad Hossain and off-spinner Mahedi Hasan -- choke the run-flow in the middle overs to make a game out of it.

Bangladesh's batting unit collectively doesn't have the power game to dominate Indian bowlers but where they can create a bit of problem is by restricting India in the 150-160 range which will be chaseable for them.

For India, there is one minor issue which the team's analytics department must have taken note of and that is Tilak Varma's struggles against spin this year.

Noted analytics site 'CricMetric' has provided a lowdown of Tilak's strike-rate against spin in T20Is across 2024 and 2025.

In 2024, Tilak played 61 deliveries against slow bowlers in five games and scored 116 runs at a strike-rate of 190 plus. His dot ball percentage against spinners was 21.3.

But in 2025, Tilak has scored only 92 runs off 80 balls in seven innings at a strike-rate of 115 and a dot ball percentage of 38.

The left-hander has been way more comfortable against quicker bowlers and scored freely with lofted shots.

But against spinners, when the ball slightly grips and comes late, he has been struggling. With Tilak and Sanju both expected to bat at Nos 4 and 5, they will have some job to do if there is a mini collapse which can happen in any game.

Rinku Singh is a far better player of spin bowling compared to Tilak but when it comes to the Indian team management over the years, the batting unit has been more about continuity.

Bangladesh's five-pronged bowling, which has Mustafizur, Taskin Ahmed and Tanzim Hasan Sakib as the three front-line pacers, is decent if not extraordinary.

Mustafizur, with years of IPL experience and variations in slow bowling, will certainly ask a few probing questions that Indian batters might need to answer.

Teams (from)

India: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Bangladesh. Litton Das (captain, wicketkeeper), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin.

Match Starts: 8 pm IST.

(With PTI Inputs)