The preparations for the World T20 will head into full flow-mode when the 2016 Asia Cup T20 gets underway with the India vs Bangladesh match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.
It's going to be all about T20 cricket until the end of May, with this Asia Cup, the World T20 and IPL 2016 all taking place before you can barely pause for breath. And, what better way to start the T20 tournament fun than with a match between the hosts and the favourites.
Bangladesh handed India a chastening series defeat the last time the Men in Blue landed on these shores, and while that was in the 50-over format, those losses will hang heavily over their heads as they go into this match on Wednesday.
The Bangla Tigers are pushovers no more, with the team now filled with talent capable of landing a blow or three to any "big" team in the world. Therefore, India will do well to be wary of the Tigers of Bangladesh, but they will also know, if they play to their full potential, they will come up trumps.
In that ODI series, a certain Mustafizur Rahman bamboozled the India batsmen with his changes of pace, but having gone through that tribulation once, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and the rest will be more prepared.
On their day, there is no better top three in the world than the India trio, and much will depend on their form in this match. If India, batting first or second, get off to a strong start courtesy Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli, MS Dhoni's men should win.
If they fall early, though, then that cat will be amongst the pigeons and we could witness a collapse similar to the one in the first T20 against Sri Lanka. However, with the Mirpur wicket expected to be a typical subcontinental belter, that is unlikely to happen.
India, however, do have a slight concern over the fitness of Dhoni, and if the skipper is unable to play, it will be interesting to see how Parthiv Patel, called in as backup, fits in the scheme of things.
There are no such concerns about India's bowling, though, with the spinners – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja -- looking in good form, and the pacers – Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah – doing their bit with the white ball as well.
Bangladesh will need to play to their maximum levels to beat this India unit, who are coming off beating Australia and Sri Lanka in bilateral series'. The openers need to fire, and so does the middle order, with Shakib Al Hasan probably going to be key, with both bat and ball.
If Mustafizur fails to make the same impact, the onus will fall on the slower bowlers to curtain India's batting lineup, which, as Australia and Sri Lanka found out, is easier said than done.
India vs Bangladesh 2016 Asia Cup T20 Match 1 schedule:
Date: Wednesday, 24 February.
Time: 7.30 pm IST (7 pm local time, 1.30 pm GMT, 8.30 am ET).
Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
TV listings: India: Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD 3 (last two Hindi commentary). Bangladesh: Star network and Channel 9. Pakistan: Geo Super, PTV and Star network. Sri Lanka: MTV Sports and Star network. Middle East and North Africa: OSN Sports Cricket.
