'When people watch me, they should say this guy has nailed it'

'Once Tere Bin Laden was over, the stardom was over, six months of living the Shah Rukh Khan life was over...'

Pradhuman Singh returns withTere Bin Laden: Dead Or Alive.

When Pradhuman Singh's mother saw the trailer of the firstTere Bin Laden movie, she could not recognise her son.

Six years later, with the second filmTere Bin Laden: Dead Or Aliveready for release, she's very excited.

The young actor plays an Osama Bin Laden lookalike, and looks completely different than what he looks in real life. Yet, he says he completely relates with the character.

He tells Jahnavi Patel/Rediff.com why. 

How different is your character in the second Tere Bin Laden movie?

It isn’t different at all.

My look is completely the same as it was in the first film. We kept it that way because we wanted people to feel that it’s Noora (Pradyuman’s character in Tere Bin Laden), but his character in the second film is called Paddi Singh. His accent is also different in the two films.

He is a folk singer form Punjab, who comes to Mumbai to become a famous singer. Unfortunately, things don’t go right and the people in Mumbai call him a beggar. This is when he meets Manish Paul’s character, Sharma. Sharma tells this guy that he can become a star, not because of his voice but because of his face.

Noora was very content but Paddi is a bitter and frustrated person, as he wanted to become a celebrity.

Plus, he doesn't get famous as an actor, as Sharma had promised him.

Now, all he wants to do is wrap up everything but someone wants him dead and someone else wants him alive.  

Was it easy to play?

Yes. The first part had a certain innocence, the character was very different from what I am in real life. So I had put in a lot of effort. I was isolated for three months -- I was living with a rooster! I used to wear the pathani all day long. I wasn’t supposed to fool around on the sets.

This time, Paddi Singh was more free-flowing, more fun. I liked this character because it’s more me.

What was more challenging this time?

I have co-written the script, so that was challenging.

As an actor, the most challenging part was not to become complacent.

When people watch me (in theatres), they should say this guy has nailed it. I want that. I don’t know whether I’ve done it or not because, honestly, people who have watched the film have neither said that I'm great nor not good.

Director Abhishek Sharma did not push me too much but I wanted to push myself. I wanted to get the comic timing right, the words right, to have the same equation with Manish Paul that I had with Ali Zafar in the first part...

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PHOTOS: Masterful Messi's late double sinks Arsenal

 Barcelona's Lionel Messi broke free from Arsenal's shackles to score two late goals and put the Champions League holders on the brink of the quarter-finals with a clinical 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

The irrepressible Argentine, along with strike partners Luis Suarez and Neymar, had been subdued for most of the last 16, first-leg tie but came alive late on, clinically finishing off a lightning counter-attack and then dispatching a penalty.

"They are 95 percent through to the quarter-finals certainly," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose side had defended solidly for 71 minutes until crumbling, told reporters.

"It's a shame we didn't get any satisfaction because we put everything into it."

Luis Enrique's Barca side extended their unbeaten run to 33 matches and, barring something extraordinary in the return at the Nou Camp next month, will take their place in the last eight for the ninth season in a row.

"I liked everything we did tonight," the Spaniard told reporters.

IMAGE: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates with Luis Suarez and Neymar. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Messi has proved a thorn in Arsenal's side on each of the last two occasions the teams have met in the Champions League.

In 2010 he scored four times in the last 16 second leg to send Barca through and a year later he struck twice in a 3-1 win in Spain after Arsenal had edged the first leg.

'It is not only the coach who is disappointed...but all of us'

 Bayern Munich were left to rue a number of missed chances in their Champions League last 16 first leg against Juventus on Tuesday after the Germans squandered a two-goal lead to draw2-2 despite dominating for much of the game.

"It is not only the coach who is disappointed. It is all of us," said Bayern winger Arjen Robben, who had netted in the 55th minute to give the visitors a two-goal cushion.

"We should have killed it off after the 2-0. What happened to us afterwards should not happen," said the Dutchman. "We should have been cooler and calmer."

The Bavarians were in commanding form for an hour, having boxed the Italians in, launching attack after attack with 70 percent possession in the first half.

IMAGE: Thomas Muller (second right) of FC Bayern Munich celebrates with his team-mate Robert Lewandowski (right) after scoring the opening goal against Juventus. Photograph: Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Goals from Thomas Mueller and Robben gave them a comfortable lead, but they wasted other chances that could have put the tie beyond doubt.

Arturo Vidal had a powerful volley saved, Mueller twice went close, while the normally clinical Robert Lewandowski was guilty of missing his share of chances.

'Railways have a 5x multiplier effect on the economy'

We hope there shall be more focus on existing projects and their completion rather than new projects.'
'Any new project announcements should be largely for decongesting the existing lines rather than new lines.'

Nandan Chakraborty, Managing Director, Institutional Equity Research, Axis Capital, which recently released a report Railway 360 Degree: ACTUALLY what will happen (.pdf file, external) tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com that the key challenge before Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will be to hike passenger tariffs, which, he says, 'always faces political resistance.'

The Railway Budget 2016-2017 will be presented in Parliament on February 25, 2016.

IMAGE: Passengers travel on an overcrowded train at Loni in Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters

What role will the Railway Budget play in spearheading the Indian economy?

The Indian Railways are the public face of government (the single largest interface) of India, transporting the equivalent of Australia's population daily or 23 million passengers daily (2 per cent of India's population) and are a key indicator of the government's success for the public.

We hope the Railway Budget reiterates the government's continued commitment to its huge capex (capital expenditure) plan with a focus on decongestion projects.

Decongestion and increased throughput can lead to a significant reduction in logistics cost benefiting all industries.

The Indian Railways have a 5x multiplier effect on the larger economy.

What are the top three headwinds and tailwinds going forward for the Indian Railways?

Headwinds:

a. HR revamp

The Indian Railways employ 1.3 million (13 lakh) people and have 1.4 million (14 lakh) pensioners and thus any change requires to be done with kid gloves.

b. Passenger tariff hikes

Given the shortfall in volumes and the fact that DFC (dedicated freight corridor) once operational shall take away 70 per cent of the Indian Railways' freight revenue, a passenger tariff hike is a must. However, this continues to be highly political.

c. PPP (Public-Private Partnership)

Private capex is essential to achieve the Indian Railways's goals. However, the Indian Railways needs to adopt modern accounting and have an independent regulator in place in order to better align the risk reward ratio in PPP.

Tailwinds:

a. Strong support of the Prime Minister's Office which recognises the strategic importance of the Indian Railways.

b. Long term funding: With Rs 1.5 trillion (approximately $22 billion) of long term money locked in, the Indian Railways can now adopt a corridor approach rather than taking on a large number of small projects and commit themselves to outlays beyond the annual budget, which shall see interest from large well EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) players with far better execution.

Shocking! Why this police officer was beaten up

n a shocking first in Maharashtra's history, a mob attacked a police station last week, assaulted two policemen, dragged one of them out, paraded him with a saffrom flag and made him chant, 'Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji.'

In an exclusive interview, District Superintendent of Police Dr Dnyaneshwar Chavan tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com what really happened.

IMAGE: A video grab of a mob assaulting Assistant Sub Inspector Yunus Shaikh of the Pangaon police station, Latur, Maharashtra.

District Superintendent of Police Dr Dnyaneshwar Chavan, left, below, is in the eye of a storm.

Last Friday, February 19, two policemen under his charge, Assistant Sub Inspector Yunus Shaikh and Head Constable K Awaskar of the Pangaon police station were attacked by a mob inside the police station.

Shaikh was then forcibly taken to the spot, saffron flag in hand, and forced to chant 'Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji' where, the previous night (February 18), Awaskar and he had prevented a mob from erecting a saffron flag near a mosque in the communally sensitive Ambedkar Chowk.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted on Wednesday, February 24, that he has asked state Director General of Police Pravin Dixit and Minister of State for Home (Rural) Ram Shinde to travel to Latur and investigate the incident.

This is what DSP Chavan said when asked if the policemen in Pangaon felt insecure and unsafe: "This is, after all, a numbers game. When you are smaller in number compared to those who you face being larger in number... definitely (there is fear)..."

How many accused have you arrested in the attack on ASI Shaikh?

16 people have been arrested till now.

How many people have been registered as accused in the case according to the FIR (first information report)?

65.

By when will you arrest the rest?

Definitely, we have been making efforts to arrest the rest. They are absconding. They are not in the village (Renapur) as well as at their relatives' houses.

They may have left the district. Their mobile phones are also switched off. We will arrest them 100 per cent.

Could you tell us what exactly happened on the day of the attack and the previous night when ASI Shaikh and Head Constable Awaskar stopped people from erecting a saffron flag near Ambedkar Chowk, close to a mosque?

The gathering had plans to dig up the road and erect a (saffron) flag at the spot about which our officers came to know.

On that night there were two officers on duty. Yunus Shaikh was not alone. Awaskar was also there. These two along with two other policemen went to the spot in a jeep and convinced them not to erect the flag there.

They (the gathering which wanted to erect a flag) then went away with their flag at around 1.30 am. Our jeep maintained a vigil at the spot till 3.30 am.

Later, at around 8.30 am, the next morning, some 8 to 10 people came to the police station and threatened the officers there with a bandh and other consequences.

In another 15, 20 minutes, a big mob gathered outside the police station and seeing these two policemen inside the police station (Shaikh and Awaskar) the mob attacked them.

Both suffered head injuries as well as swelling of their hands and legs in this attack.

In the melee, Awaskar managed to escape, but the mob caught hold of the other police officer (Shaikh) and took him to the spot where they had asked the mob the previous night not to erect the flag.

Were these two officers asked by by their superiors to stop anybody from erecting flags at Ambedkar Chowk?

Listen my dear friend; This is our job to stop this nonsense.

How can we allow people erecting flags at any place that they want?

Once they erect such flags they refuse to remove it, leading to tensions in the area.

Once a saffron flag gets erected during one jayanti (birth anniversaries of historic figures), some people come and erect a blue flag on some other jayanti, and then again you have some people erecting a green flag.

This is how our society is evolving right now. People think they have done a great job when they erect such flags.

Why have you not added Yunus Shaikh as a complainant when it was he who was attacked and paraded by the mob asking him to raise slogans? Why make Awaskar the complainant?

Because of the attack on him (Shaikh), he was very nervous. He was not in a condition to give a statement properly.

He was conscious, but he was under mental trauma. So, we registered a complaint from Awaskar.

Is Yunus Shaikh stable now?

Yes, Shaikh and Awaskar, both are stable now.

Will you then add Yunus Shaikh as a complainant now?

Sir, you have started to change the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) now. For one crime there is always one FIR registered and then investigations are done.

So you are saying that the CPC doesn't allow you to name two complainants for an attack like this.

No. Only one FIR is filed in one incident.

Yunus Shaikh's son claims this will weaken the case against the rioters...

He must have said this to you. When I met him, when the IG (Inspector General of Police) met him, nothing of this sort has come to light.

If there are 10 people injured in a crime, we don't take complaints from all 10 people.

But here there were just two people who were attacked. And that too two policemen, who were attacked by the mob who entered a police station and dragged them out, paraded them in full public view.

Yunus Shaikh has claimed that the police did not help him when he had asked for reinforcements, informing them that a mob of over 100 people had attacked the police station.

The attack took place around 8.30 am and the reinforcements came only at 10.30 by when the assault was over and rioters had fled.

It is correct that the incident (the attack on the police station and the police officers; not once did Chavan refer to it as an 'attack'; he stuck to 'incident') started at 8.30 and he (Shaikh) informed about it (for additional police force) and three of our employees (policemen) were on their way at around 9 am to the police station, but the injured constable (Awaskar) met them on the way and informed them that just three policemen were not enough because it was a huge crowd and asked them to come back with a bigger force so that they (policemen in strength) could control them.

The distance between our police station (from where the reinforcements took off in a jeep) and the chowki (the police station where the attack occurred) is about 16 km. Because of bad roads any vehicle easily takes about 25 minutes to cover this distance.

Did Yunus Shaikh, when he called for help, not say that it was a huge mob?

When told that (informed by Yunus) it was a 100-plus mob and given that it was morning time and policemen were amid their shift (night to morning when they change their duties) change and also there were about 8 such processions organised that day (February 19, Shiv Jayanti) our force was distributed for duty at these places too.

Another rally was supposed to cross its way from around a mosque at 9 or 9.15 am. For that too we had to requisition policemen. There were about 105 processions across Latur district that day.

Isn't this the first time in Maharashtra that a policeman was dragged out by a mob from inside a police station and then attacked?

A policeman was paraded in full public view, forced to carry a saffron flag and chant 'Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji'.

Isn't this a huge failure on the part of the Latur police?

Also, such instances were not happening at all the 105 places you mentioned. Only Yunus Shaikh sent you a SoS, but still the police couldn't reach the spot in time with adequate force.

Asia Cup: Rohit blasts 55-ball 83 to power India to 166

20:57 
 B'desh 9-0 (2 ovs) vs India 166-6 | Scorecard

Ashish Nehra to open the bowling for India, who would be feeling quite comfortable after putting up a good total on a difficult wicket.

Nehra makes a good start, with five dot balls in a row to Soumya Sarkar, who tucks the last ball to fine leg for three runs to get off the mark.

Jasprit Bumrah to bowl the second over. He starts with a long hop which Sarkar cracks over point for a four to wake up the crowd, who had gone quiet in the last hour or so.

Sarkar picks a quick single before Mohammad Mithun picks one to get off the mark.

Bumrah gets one to slant across left-handed Sarkar, who is beaten three deliveries in a row as Bangladesh reach nine for no loss in two overs.

20:39  Rohit blasts 55-ball 83 to power India to 166:  
India 166-6 (20 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Mustafizur is back. Pandya plays his favourite slash off the first delivery and gets a boundary through thirdman. However, the left-arm pacer beats Pandya off the next two deliveries, bowling it full and wide outside the off-stump.

He drives the fifth ball down the ground for two runs and is beaten off the last ball but manages to steal a bye from the last ball of the over.

Al-Amin to bowl the final over of the innings. Pandya takes a single from the first ball before Rohit is dismissed off the next.

Rohit looks for a big shot over the leg side but fails to find the distance and is caught on the leg side after a superb innings of 83 from 55 balls, having hit seven fours and three sixes.

Two balls later, Pandya also perishes as he is caught at long-on after a quickfire innings of 31 from 18 balls, having hit four boundaries.

Dhoni smashes the fifth ball down the ground for two runs before he pulls the last ball over square leg for a six to end the innings in style.

India finish on a healthy 166 for six in their 20 overs.

The visitors managed to turnaround things in style after a horror start. They were struggling on 52 for three after 10 overs, but smashed 114 runs in the next 10 overs.

Rohit, who was dropped on 21, made the Bangladeshis pay big time as he blasted 83 from 55 balls, while Pandya played a crucial innings of 31 from 18 balls.

Al-Amin was the best bowler for Bangladesh as he took three for 37 but Mustafizur went for runs, giving away 40 in his four overs.

20:25  Rohit, Pandya on the attack as Bangladesh suffer: 
India 149-4 (18 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Mustafizur comes back. The first ball is a bit short as Pandya slashes it square past point for a four before he takes a single.

No stopping Rohit now as he lofts Mustafizur over midwicket for a six as Shakib on the fence makes a superb effort but is unable to hold on.

Pandya gets a thick outside edge as the fielder at thirdman fumbles giving away two runs. The left-arm pacer tries a bouncer but it slips down the leg side and is called a wide. India on fire at the moment, having smashed 33 runs from the last 11 deliveries.

The last ball is in the slot, full and on the pads as Pandya whips it over the midwicket fence for a six to make it 21 runs from the over.

India's run rate has touched the eight-runs per over mark as they race to 136 for four in 17 overs.

Al-Amin comes back. Rohit drives the first ball through the covers for two runs and takes one from the next.

The next ball is short and Pandya slashes it square for a four before crashing the next through midwicket for another boundary.

Another big over for India as 13 come from it to take the score to 149 for four in 18 overs.

Rohit has been batting superbly on 82 from 53 balls, while Pandya has stroked 24 from 10 balls.

20:14  Rohit blasts half-century rallies India: 
India 115-4 (16 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Mortaza comes back as Rohit drives the first ball to the deep on the off-side for a single and Pandya picks a single off the next.

Rohit goes after Mortaza as he comes down the track and lofts it straight down the ground and it carries all the way over long-off for a six. He pulls the next ball and gets it in the gap over midwicket for a four.

Rohit in full flow at the moment. He makes room and smashes the last ball through the covers for a splendid boundary.

Rohit has smashed his way to 72 from 49 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes, to take India to 115 for four in 16 overs.

20:10  Yuvraj out for 15, India lose 4th wicket:  
India 97-4 (15 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

The experienced Shakib comes back. Three singles from the first three balls before Yuvraj tries the reverse sweep but fails to connect followed by two singles from the last two balls of the over.

Mustafizur, who bowled just one over in his first spell, comes back for his second spell. Rohit steers the first ball to thirdman for a single before Yuvraj drives the second ball straight as the fielder at mid-off fails to stop it and gives away a four.

Four singles from the last four balls helps India sustain the momentum as they pick nine from the over to reach 90 for three in 14 overs.

Rohit drives the first ball of Shakib's third over down to long-off for a single to bring up his half-century, from 42 balls.

Yuvraj content to take the singles and bring his partner back on strike. Rohit goes down on one knee and sweeps Shakib square on the leg side for a four.

Yuvraj plays the slog sweep but ends up hitting it straight to the fielder at deep midwicket to fall for 15.

Hardik Pandya is sent in ahead of Dhoni as India look keen to attack the bowlers in the last five overs.

India are on course for a total around the 150-run mark as they reach 97 for four in 15 overs.

19:57  Rohit rallies India after horror start vs Bangladesh: 
India 76-3 (12 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Taskin comes back, replacing Shakib, who bowled just one over. The first ball is wide and full as Rohit goes after it but is beaten and the second ball is an exact action replay of the first.

Rohit (21) makes connection with the third ball, another half-volley, but hits is straight to the fielder at point who drops a straightforward chance.

Taskin drops short and wide as Rohit manages to hit it past point for a much-needed boundary for the Indians.

The next ball is even worse but Rohit has no complaints as he slashes a short wide ball over the thirdman fence for a six.

The last ball is steered fine but the fielder at thirdman run across but lets it go through his legs for another four.

14 runs from the over gives the Indian innings a slight lift as they reach 66 for three in 11 overs, with Rohit playing a good hand on 35 from 31 balls.

Yuvraj is happy to give the strike to Rohit, who is looking in good touch. He drives Mortaza through the covers for two runs before pulling the next ball fine for a four.

Yuvraj pulls the fifth ball to deep midwicket to bring up his 1000 runs in T20 Internationals, from 47 matches.

10 runs from the over, making it 24 from the last two, as India recover slightly to reach 76 for three in 12 overs.

19:46 
India 52-3 (10 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Spin from both ends as left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan comes into the attack. He makes a tidy start, giving away just four singles as both Rohit and Yuvraj look to milk the spinner around with taking any risks.

Rohit uses his feet to Mahmudullah, who drives it down to long-on for one and Yuvraj turns the third ball on the leg side for another single.

No fielder in the cover region inside the circle as Bangladesh are content to give away the single.

Five singles from the over takes India to 52 for three in 10 overs with Rohit on 21 and Yuvraj on five.

19:40  Raina falls for 13 as India continue to struggle with the bat:  
India 43-3 (8 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Off-spinner Mahmudullah comes into the attack. And he claims the key wicket of Raina, who is bowled for 13.

Three singles from the first four deliveries before Raina decides to attack the part-time spinner and ends up losing his wicket. He charged down the track but was beaten comprehensively and missed it completely to be bowled.

India sink further as they are reduced to 42 for three in the eighth over.

New batsman Yuvraj Singh gets off the mark with a single on the off-side.

19:34 
India 39-2 (7 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Al-Amin comes back as Mustafizur gets a break. Raina decides not to hold back as he makes room and crashes the second ball of the over through the covers for a four. That was risky but Raina makes his intent quite clear early on in his innings.

Two balls later, he attempts another lofted shot over the off-side but this time he is beaten all ends up.

Al-Amin bowls a poor delivery, short and wide, as Raina goes back and slashes it past point for the second four of the over. That was a gift!

Raina looks to heave the last ball over the leg side but is beaten again as the ball goes over the stumps.

India have struggled in the Powerplay as they reach 31 for two in six overs.

Rohit has not had much to do in the first six overs, facing just 11 balls for 10 runs. He defends the first ball of Mortaza's second over before turning the next ball through the leg side for two runs and then takes a single.

Mortaza attempts a bouncer to Raina but it is too high and is called a wide. The next ball is driven past point for two runs before taking a single and Rohit gets one from the last ball to retain strike.

19:25  Kohli fails with the bat, India in trouble:  
India 23-2 (5 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Another bowling change as captain Mashrafe Mortaza comes into the attack. The first ball is short as Rohit pulls but fails to make proper connection and gets two runs to deep square leg before taking a quick single to mid-off from the second delivery.

Kohli tries another big shot down the ground and this time he makes connection but ends up hitting it straight into the hands of the fielder at mid-off.

A poor innings from Kohli (8) as he looked to attack the bowlers on a difficult wicket for batting instead of trying to play out the new ball.

India in trouble as they are reduced to 22 for two in the fifth over.

Suresh Raina has a nervous poke outside the off-stump as Mortaza gets a bit of carry before he gets a single from the last ball.

19:20  India struggle after Dhawan's early dismissal: 
India 19-1 (4 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Taskin continues as Kohli has a close shave. He tries to drive the third ball but gets a thick inside edge which narrowly misses the stumps and goes behind the wicket for a four. Kohli takes a single from the next ball before Rohit is gifted two runs from the last ball courtesy of an overthrow as India reach 16 for no loss in three overs.

This is some contest now as Bangladesh's pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman is called into the attack and facing him is Virat Kohli, one of the leading batsmen in world cricket at the moment.

The first ball is quick but a bit wayward and is called a wide outside the off-stump. He defends the next ball before jumping down the track but fails to make any connection.

The third ball is a bit short as Kohli defends it off the backfoot and has a brief yes-no moment with Rohit as they deliberate over a single before backing out.

Mustafizur gets some extra bounce as Kohli flicks it off his hips past short fine leg for a couple. He again comes down the track and makes room but is beate yet again.

This is a good start for Bangladesh as India struggle to 19 for one in four overs on a wicket offering a lot of assistance to the pacers.

19:12  Dhawan out for 2, India lose early wicket:  
India 9-1 (2 ovs) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Pacer Al-Amin Hossain to bowl the second over. The first ball is wide as Dhawan steers it to thirdman where a slight fumble allows him to steal a second run. Two balls later, Hossain breaches through Dhawan's defences to bowl him.

The left-hander played down the wrong line and misses it completely to be bowled for two as India lose an early wicket.

Virat Kohli, who was rested for the Sri Lanka series, walks in at No. 3. He gets off the mark immediately with a single to thirdman. Rohit settles some nerves in the dressing room as he strokes the last ball of the over in some style through the covers for the first boundary of the match.

19:06 
India 2-0 (1 ov) vs B'desh | Scorecard

Taskin Ahmed to open the bowling for Bangladesh and gets a huge cheer from the local fans as he gets ready to bowl the first over.

Rohit Sharma on strike first up. The first ball comes in sharply as Rohit defends it awkwardly before he steers the next to thirdman for one to get off the mark.

Shikhar Dhawan gets a leg bye as he misses the flick off the next. Rohit goes after a wide short delivery but is beaten by some extra bounce and is lucky not to have edged it as two runs come from the first over.

18:33  Bangladesh elect to bowl, Dhoni fit to play:   Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has won the toss and has no hesitation in electing to bowl on a greenish-looking wicket in Mirpur.

They are playing four fast bowlers to take advantage of the conditions.

For India, Virat Kohli comes in to the playing eleven in place of Ajinkya Rahane.

18:30  Dhoni fit to play against Bangladesh:  The big news is that India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has recovered from his back spasms and will lead the team in the opening match against Bangladesh.

He has just walked out for the toss with Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza to a huge cheer from the fans at the Mirpur stadium.

18:05  Captain Dhoni skipped the batting and fielding sessions on Tuesday and instead had a light jogging session.

He then oversaw the batting session of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya, offering them valuable inputs in the nets.

The big question for India today is whether captain Dhoni will be fit to play?

18:04   A green pitch on offer for today's match, says Harsha Bhogle, something which is rarely seen in the sub-continent.

"Never seen anything as green as this track at Mirpur on the sub -continent!," says Harsha Bhogle on Twitter.

17:59  India eye revenge against Bangladesh in opener:   Welcome to the coverage of the opening match of Asia Cup 2016 between hosts Bangladesh and India in Mirpur, on Wednesday.

It rained heavily earlier in the day leaving a big question over the match but the rain has stayed away for the last couple of hours and the conditions are quite okay at the moment.

The teams have arrived at the stadium and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gone over to the pitch to have a look.