News from Asia cup

Swashbuckling bats and nonchalant victories might have gifted a halo to India’s initial campaign in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup tournament.

However, as the semifinal league commences with the game against Bangladesh on Saturday, perhaps its time to put a pause to fun and frolic.

M.S. Dhoni’s men will surely walk into the National Stadium with added confidence thanks to their comprehensive Group B victories over Hong Kong and Pakistan.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has warned his players from being complacent against giant killers Bangladesh in Saturday’s Super Four encounter of the Asia Cup.

Dhoni and his men pummelled minnows Hong Kong and mighty Pakistan with identical ruthlessness and Bangladesh would require a miracle of sort to halt the Indian juggernaut on Saturday.

Sensing that a sense of complacency might creep in among the ranks, Dhoni has already warned his teammates not to lower the guard on Saturday and the Indian captain is not ready to underestimate Bangladesh either.

“Cricket is a cruel game and you cannot afford to relax. We are here like the others to try to win this tournament as it is a big one from the Asian point of view,” Dhoni said.

“We have to win all our matches for we want to carry the momentum to the final. I’m happy with the bowlers’ performance, while the batsmen too are on song,” Dhoni said.

For India, Irfan Pathan is still recovering from the side strain that saw him missing the first two matches and the left-arm seamer is likely to sit out Saturday as well even though his absence was never felt.

Though India mauled Pakistan by six wickets while chasing 300 for victory in Thursday’s contest, Dhoni said that his players could not afford to relax against a side like Bangladesh.

Asia Cup - 7th Match, Super Four
Bangladesh v India 2008 season

Played at National Stadium, Karachi (neutral venue), on 28 June 2008 - day/night

India :
MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, PP Chawla, G Gambhir, M Gony, P Kumar, PP Ojha, IK Pathan, YK Pathan, SK Raina, V Sehwag, I Sharma, RG Sharma, RP Singh, RV Uthappa

Bangladesh :
captainMohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Dolar Mahmud, Farhad Reza, Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mosharraf Hossain, wicketkeeperMushfiqur Rahim, Nazimuddin, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal