Welcome to the coverage of the Asia Cup final between India and Bangladesh in Dubai on Friday.

India will be aiming to reassert their continental supremacy while an injury-hit Bangladesh will hope to shrug off stage fright when the two sides square off in the final.

A passionate Bangladesh turned out to be the party-poopers on Wednesday as they wrecked the prospects of an India vs Pakistan summit clash with a gutsy performance despite losing key players to injury.

On paper, India will remain overwhelming favourites to win the tournament for a record seventh time while Bangladesh will be hoping to be third-time lucky in a summit clash.

Final of any tournament is a one-off game in complete isolation from how a team has performed in the tournament. Even the most consistent teams have slipped on the proverbial banana peel when it has mattered the most.

What is definitely a dampener for Bangladesh heading into the final is the injury woes that the side is facing.

Star batsman Tamim Iqbal is already out with a fractured hand and Bangladesh will also not have premier all-rounder Shakib-Al Hasan in the line-up owing to a finger injury.

He is expected to undergo surgery which will also force him out of the home series against Zimbabwe starting on September 30.

For India, it will be a different test though.

A victory in the Asia Cup without their skipper and best batsman Virat Kohli will be a big statement going into next year's World Cup.

Not to forget, the Asia Cup trophy will be a healing touch after 1-4 Test series defeat in England.

The team's exploits in shorter formats have always successfully papered over the deficiencies when it comes to playing quality five-day cricket in adverse conditions.

An Asia Cup triumph can also help partially divert attention from the England debacle.