Mirpur: Millions of Indian cricket fans will be praying for a Sri Lankan victory when the islanders take on hosts Bangladesh on Tuesday in their last league match, the result of which will determine India`s fate in the Asia Cup cricket tournament.
The Indians recorded their highest run-chase ever to pull off an extra-ordinary victory over arch rivals Pakistan yeserday, riding on Virat Kohli blistering 183 off 148 balls to keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the final.
But Sunday's win alone is not enough for the defending champions to seal their place for Thursday`s summit clash as India`s fate now entirely depends on how Sri Lanka perform.
India, whose Asia Cup campaign was thrown into disarray after their upset five-wicket loss to minnows Bangladesh, will now have to wait for the result of Tuesday`s Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
If Sri Lanka win, India will go into the final but a defeat for the islanders will ensure that Bangladesh take on
Pakistan in the title clash on Thursday.
As per the rules of the tournament, if two teams are tied on points, head-to-head record will be considered, so Bangladesh will go into the final as they had beaten India in their league match.
Going by the form of both the teams, Bangladesh would back themselves to register another upset win in the tournament.
After giving Pakistan a scare in the tournament-opener, Bangladesh sprung a surprise by chasing down India`s challenging 289-run target with five wickets in hand and four balls to spare.
Nicknamed `Tigers`, the Bangladesh cricket team has so far showed in the continental event that they are quite a handful in front of adoring home fans.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 13:13