Bangladesh has hosted Asia Cup thrice but has never won the tournament. On Sunday, the hosts will get one more shot at the title when they face off against an unbeaten Indian side in Mirpur this Sunday. Home fans are extremely upbeat about the team’s chances against MS Dhoni’s men – to the extent that a morphed graphic photo of pacer Taskin Ahmed holding Dhoni’s chopped head is spreading like wildfire online. While the Indian side will enter the title clash having won each of their four matches, Bangladesh have showcased spirited cricket and lost just one of their four league matches. Mashrafe Mortaza’s men lost to India but then outclassed Sri Lanka and Pakistan – the traditional Asian heavyweights, and UAE to storm into the final against an all-too-familiar foe. Fans are now banking on momentum to take Bangladesh to the title and are leaving no stone unturned to rouse up the national cricketers. The viral photo of Taskin, who has had a rather timid series so far with two wickets from four matches, is an explicit – albeit provocative – example. Apart from rallying behind their team, Bangladeshi fans have had reasons to stand united against the Men in Blue as well. Many had cried foul after ‘controversial’ decisions saw India knock Bangladesh out of the World Cup last year. The team had its revenge within months and so did the fans. After Bangladesh registered a historic 2-1 ODI series win against India at home, a leading Bangladesh daily – Prothom Alo – published a caricature showing top Indian players, including Dhoni and Virat Kohli, with their head half shaven. Indian fans had retaliated vociferously and called it a ‘betrayal’ of Bangladeshi culture. -
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