Daijiworld Media Network - Sports

Dhaka, Mar 3: Talking about the UAE - the kid who topped the class test but got horrible grades as he appeared for the semester exams. In the qualifiers, UAE ran through their opponents, getting the better of Afghanistan, who in recent times have been the most impressive of the associate nations. Having put up a great show, UAE were expected to challenge the bigger names in the main event. Instead, they turned out to be a bunch of deers caught in headlights. Their bowling did trouble the opponents but all the good work done by the bowlers was wasted by some ordinary batting. The Indian bowling might not be as express as Pakistan, who tormented them in their previous tie, but it boasts of variations. UAE will be better off by not focusing much on the might of the opponent. It will help them not get overawed and at the same time, ensure that they bring out their game face. They have nothing but pride to play for. Can UAE stage an upset? Toss, team updates, pitch report and live action to follow. We are getting the big news, BCCI have just tweeted that Pawan Negi will be making his debut today

Dead rubbers are used for two purposes. First, the dominant team tests its bench strength and tries to iron-out issues, if any. In some cases, they stick with the winning eleven, but try different combinations in pursuit of having a fully war-tested team before their all-important game. Second, those players who have not been lucky enough to be amongst runs or wickets look to optimize the opportunity. So, will Harbhajan Singh get a chance to roll his arm over today? Will Pawan Negi don the India jersey for the first time or will Dhoni want to rest his back and handover the gloves to Parthiv Patel? As much as a fan would want India to try out these combinations, Dhoni is not expected to make many. We have seen in the past his inclination to not alter with the winning combination.

If you still use Bangladesh and minnows in the same sentence, it is time to change that. Yesterday, they proved that - at least for now - they are one of the best T20I sides in Asia, pipping Pakistan to set up a date with India in the summit clash of the Asia Cup. Bangladesh's win has rendered the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan game - to be played on Friday - inconsequential. But before the battle for pride between Sri Lanka and Pakistan to be followed by the final hurrah between India and the hosts, it is time for a dead-rubber between the top team and the bottom placed side of the tourney. Hello and a warm welcome to all of you as India take on UAE tonight!

United Arab Emirates have won the toss and have opted to bat.

MS Dhoni: 'We wanted to bat first just in case we have to bat first in the final, other than that nothing changes. Slightly more grass than the last wicket. I do not think much has changed, bit of grass has been taken off. We have plenty of changes, Ashish Nehra, Ashwin and Jadeja have been rested. So, Bhuvi, Harbhajan and Pawan Negi come in.'

Amjad Javed: 'We will bat first. I guess, it is the same wicket that we played against Pakistan, putting runs on the board and putting pressure while chasing for the oppositon will be good for us. Everything has gone well for us, we have produced some good matches. We will try that again today. Usman Mushtaq is out and Qadeer Ahmed is coming in.'

Teams:

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni(w/c), Hardik Pandya, Pawan Negi, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

United Arab Emirates (Playing XI): Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Kaleem, Mohammad Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Muhammad Usman, Amjad Javed(c), Swapnil Patil(w), Mohammad Naveed, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Tariq, Ahmed Raza

Preview by Ganesh Chandrasekaran

With India having qualified for the final and UAE already knocked out, the last league game for both teams on Thursday (March 3) is a dead rubber. Even an upset from UAE is not going to cause any complications to the qualifications scenario. But the game could yet hold some significance. For UAE, it is their last and probably biggest shot at making people notice them. A good performance against an in-form India will do their cause a world of good. That this will be their last game in the limelight before heading back home ought to motivate Amjad Javed's men to a large extent.

After winning all their games in the qualifiers, UAE have not managed to repeat a similar performance against the Test-playing nations in the Tournament Proper. The bowling attack has caught attention after good shows against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but the batting has been a let-down. It will take some doing to reverse the trend against an in-form Indian bowling attack.

Although what might help is that Dhoni was certain on making some changes for the upcoming games. The skipper made it clear after the match against Sri Lanka that India will be looking to give a few players on the bench an opportunity. The possible changes are anybody's guess. Ashish Nehra has been a pillar of the bowling attack since he made his comeback to the team. However, his history of injuries might just force the team-management to give him a bit of rest ahead of the World T20. There wouldn't be many chances to do that once the tournament begins and this could be their last chance to give someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar some match-time.

The other possible change would be to get in Pawan Negi for Ravindra Jadeja. That would be a like-for-like replacement in terms of roles played. Negi is part of the World T20 squad as well. But this might be the ideal time to give him a debut. Unless injuries force him to, Dhoni is unlikely to tinker with the batting order too much. Yuvraj Singh has been slowly finding his feet back in the national team and this would present another opportunity for him to get ticking. It will also be interesting to see if Harbhajan Singh gets a look-in. That would mean Dhoni missing out on three of his front-line bowlers and both of his first-choice spinners.

It will be India's last game before the final and while the threat of an upset remains meagre, it will be a huge dent to their confidence and momentum if they do slip-up. Given that pretty much the same squad has figured in their last nine games, the threat of complacency seeping in also rings true. The challenge for Dhoni and Co. is to approach the game without letting up on intensity despite the game lacking any context.

On the other hand, UAE will have their shirts rolled up to give it one last shot. A team made up of mostly expats from India and Pakistan, this is an opportunity to make the biggest impact they could create. The enormity of the chance will not slip by them. Skipper Javed has been in the forefront of a well-toned bowling unit that restricted the likes of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to scores around the 130s. The lack of batting fire-power is an issue that probably cannot be addressed immediately given the lack of stocks left in the reserve.

The pitch might not be a cause of concern for both teams but the conditions might. With the dew-factor coming into play in the game against Sri Lanka, the toss could well be a crucial factor in the game. The teams batting second will have a slightly enhanced advantage once the ball stops swinging. But it is expected to assist the seamers nevertheless, as has been the case all through the tournament.