CT 2017, 2nd Semifinal, IND vs BAN – India Predicted XI

It will be an all Asia semifinal at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. India and Bangladesh have had one loss each in the group stages but did exceptionally well in their last respective games to qualify for the semifinals. While Bangladesh were helped by an abandoned game against Australia, India have two wins and look the stronger side on paper.

India were popular favourites to defend their title before the start of the tournament. But a defeat against Sri Lanka in their second group game put them in a spot of bother. They showed great character to bounce back and win against the Proteas convincingly. Bangladesh should be an easy stroll if they play to their potential but they must keep in mind that the Tigers can be a dangerous team and, of late, they have usually punched above their weight against big teams in big tournaments.

Bangladesh are not going to get bogged down by India. They come across a team who fear none and is equally capable of giving it back to the opposition if they are sledged. Tamim Iqbal was seen exchanging words with Ben Stokes earlier in the tournament. Bangladesh must realise that their best bet would be to put their heads down and play the way they did against New Zealand. They are the lighter team but can spring a surprise on their day.

Let us have a look at the Predicted XI of India for the second semifinal of the tournament:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma)

There is something special about ICC tournaments for Shikhar Dhawan. And if it’s the Champions Trophy, Dhawan takes his game to a different level. He has already racked up 271 runs in 3 games so far in the competition. He will be the key for India again at the top of the order. Dhawan likes batting with Rohit and both complement each other exceptionally well.

Rohit Sharma failed in the last game because he did not follow his game plan which is to take his time early on. Prior to the South Africa game, Rohit had struck two fifties in the first game. India might be one of the best ODI teams going around in world cricket but has an average score of 49 after the first powerplay in the last 2 years which is the lowest amongst the top ranked teams. Rohit and Dhawan take their time but they catch up later during the innings.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav)

Kohli has two fifties in this event so far and between them, he has had a rare blip where he was dismissed without scoring. Kohli is playing well but the assurance in his innings is missing. While he has remained unbeaten on 81 and 76 in the other two games, Kohli has offered chances in both innings which were not taken. The Indian skipper needs to get his A game at the Edgbaston.

Yuvraj has had a decent run in the middle before the business end of the tournament. A quick-fire fifty in the first game followed a failure against Sri Lanka. An unbeaten 23 against South Africa came at the right time to give Yuvraj a feel of the conditions. The left-hander must not look to take too much time early in his innings as it can stall the Indian innings as it did against Sri Lanka.

Dhoni has 63 runs against his name in the solitary opportunity he got in the tournament so far. India were in a spot of bother when he came out to the centre against the Islanders. He played a very positive innings to push the Indian score in excess of 320. He will be the one who will provide impetus late in the innings.

Jadhav hasn’t got time in the middle which is a slight concern for India. He has played just 13 balls in this tournament and has scored 25 runs without being dismissed. He is a dangerous customer who can play unorthodox shots and score quickly despite being under pressure.

All-rounders (Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin)

Pandya, Jadeja and Ashwin provide a lot of balance to the Indian side. All can give 10 overs to their captain and contribute with crucial runs with the bat. Pandya’s batting has really impressed everyone. He is someone who can get quick runs at the back end of the innings as he did against Pakistan the other day. He has to learn to be more disciplined with the ball.

Jadeja and Ashwin are two workhorses of India who do well together irrespective of the format. Both bowled tight spells against South Africa to turn the heat on their batters in the middle overs. Jadeja is more equipped to contribute more to the team with the bat in ODIs but has remained untested in the tournament so far. He must be ready for that chance to shine with the bat might just be around the corner.

Bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar)

Both fast bowlers bowled neatly against the Proteas. Bumrah was later adjudged the Man of The Match for his 2/28. His partner, Bhuvi, returned with 2/23. Both were responsible in polishing off the tail. Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar are aware of their roles in the team. They bowled tight spells early on which ensured that Amla and de Kock never got away with easy runs. The spinners then exploited the good start to pick a few wickets while maintaining the pressure. Both pacemen were called back by Kohli to clean up the tail later.

Bhuvneshwar, in particular, is enjoying the English conditions. He gets the bowl to swing early in the innings and has found reverse swing too with the old ball. Bumrah’s strength is his ability to hit the yorker at will when the pressure is on. He is very accurate with his length with the new ball as well. It was tough for Kohli to leave out Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami from the XI but that also speak volumes about the quality of Bhuvi and Bumrah.