Spotting chinks in India's armour

In Sunday's Asia Cup Super Four clash with Pakistan, India dropped five catches in Dubai. After yet another one-sided win over their arch-rivals, the first question inevitably centred on those missed chances.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav answered with humour in the post-match presser, but also admitted such lapses were a warning sign for sterner contests ahead.

Indian analysts believe the team still have not played its best cricket in the regional tournament. Yet, even without hitting full stride, they have shown how far ahead they are of the rest.

Asking in which areas India are ahead almost seems redundant. The real question is: in which areas are they not? Among Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the balance might tilt occasionally, but against India the gulf remains overwhelming.

Suryakumar's comments after beating Pakistan for a second time in a week carried a hint of arrogance. "If two teams play 15 or 20 matches and it's 7-all or 8-7, that's a rivalry. But 13-0, 10-1… this is not a rivalry anymore." Still, the Indian camp quietly concede that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka could be trickier opponents. One Indian journalist noted that "India really do consider Bangladesh and Sri Lanka tougher opponents than Pakistan now; at least in this tournament."

Even Suryakumar hinted as much when he said of the dropped catches: "We have more crucial games to play ahead." His own form, though, raises doubts. His duck against Pakistan suggested that the outside noise since the politicised handshake saga might be affecting one of the most prolific batters in the shortest format.

On the other hand, the same cannot be said for their younger guns. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped forge a battle-hardened breed, and many who did not make this squad could walk into rival teams. Opener Abhishek Sharma's back-to-back first-ball boundaries off Pakistan star pacer Shaheen Afridi underlined that the newbies on the block seem to thrive on pressure.

Still, nothing is guaranteed. In T20s, the gulf between teams narrows, and even star bowlers can have an off day.

India do have a soft spot in that regard. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah looked off-colour against Pakistan, conceding 45 in his four overs. "He hasn't been himself right through this tournament," commentator Harsha Bhogle observed. Bangladesh will hope that slump lingers a little longer.

Then there's the batting. The Asia Cup's top run-scorers feature Abhishek at the top, while India's next representative Tilak Varma sits at 13th. The fact that India's middle and lower order have remained relatively untested, it's something Bangladesh could exploit if they remove the top order quickly.

Liton Das and his teammates know this will be their biggest test yet. They've focused on rest as much as training since beating Sri Lanka -- having completely rested on Sunday, and trained only in the evening on Monday, with Tuesday already marked as a rest day -- conserving energy in the punishing UAE heat for back-to-back games against India and Pakistan on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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From fear of elimination to hopes of playing final

Head-to-head T20 record shows Bangladesh have only beaten India once in 17 attempts. At the end of the day, though, even the strongest sides can have bad days -- such is the nature of the sport. For the Tigers, that faint sliver of unpredictability is the hope to cling to.

A defeat to India would not invite much criticism, but any unexpected success would be cherished.