Aakash Chopra says Bangladesh’s story might end in the league stage of Asia Cup

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons Bangladesh might not be able to qualify for the Super fours of the upcoming Asia Cup. Chopra backed Afghanistan and Sri Lanka to qualify for the next stage from Group B.

Interestingly, the Tigers have won their last three T20I series against the Netherlands, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Litton Das’ team would want to come up with a collective effort in the continental tournament.

“If we talk about opportunity, they have nothing to lose and the entire world to gain because they haven’t been doing well in multi-nation tournaments for a long time. They used to punch above their weight. They knocked us out in 2007. They are participants in world tournaments, but are not going into them as contenders, and this is what they want to do now,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“So the opportunities are endless, but to say the truth, their job is cut out, even though it would be wrong to rule out any team in T20s. I feel they will get stuck. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka might actually qualify from that group. So Bangladesh’s story might end in the league stage,” he added.

The renowned commentator reckons Bangladesh are overdependent on their captain, Litton Das in the batting department. 

“In weakness, they have an overdependence on Litton Das. Litton Das is a quality player, but he is an underachiever. He hasn’t done as well as the ability he has. He is the captain at the moment, so the team will definitely look towards him, but they look towards him too much. They have a tendency of choking in big moments,” he said.

Chopra reckons the Tigers could struggle in high-scoring games in the upcoming Asia Cup.

“If we look at it in 2025, they have very few batters whose strike rates are close to 150. You see just one or two above 140. They are not a team that is looking for 210-220. They are a team that is very comfortable with a 160-180 total. If the opposing team decides to hit a lot, they might not have any answers,” Chopra observed.

Bangladesh will begin their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, on 11th September.