ICC World Cup 2019: Match 40, Bangladesh vs India, Preview – Tigers hope to defy the odds in a must-win situation

Along with Pakistan, even Bangladesh wanted India to defeat England. But even Mashrafe Mortaza’s troops knew before that they will have to get the better of the Men in Blue to stay alive in the World Cup. India, on the other hand, are no more unbeaten after England exposed their frailties and it is a quick turn around for them. It is important for them to not carry any baggage of the previous match and play with the same intensity in this game to confirm their semi-final spot.

India defeated Bangladesh in the warm-up game as well and two players under the pump at the moment, KL Rahul and MS Dhoni, scored centuries in that match. They will be confident of turning their fortunes around with this encounter. Injuries aren’t helping the two-time champions either and the latest to add to the list is Vijay Shankar who sustained a non-displaced fracture of the left big toe to be ruled out of the World Cup.

India’s middle-order has to be better though and it can hurt them big time in the knockouts while chasing mammoth totals like it did against England. They will also have to rethink about their approach in the first 10 overs in big chases.

Bangladesh have more issues to deal with though while playing against big teams. Tamim Iqbal hasn’t been in his fluent best while Soumya Sarkar has thrown away starts in almost every game. The skipper Mortaza isn’t leading from the front and the bowling attack has conceded 381 and 386 against Australia and England respectively. They can’t afford to go for runs again if India bats first.

As far as the pitch is concerned, the same strip will be used for this game which was used for England vs India game. It will definitely become slow as the game progresses.

Playing Combinations

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal hasn’t set the stage on fire yet and a lot is expected of him. Sarkar should be back opening the innings after the one-off experiment with Liton Das didn’t work. Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim at 3 and 4 are vital for Bangladesh to post or chase a total. Mustafizur Rahman will be crucial with the ball again while Mohammad Saifuddin also should vary his pace to keep the Indian batsmen under the lid.

Mahmudullah sustained a calf injury during the previous game. But he has got enough time to rest and is likely to be fit in time. Bangladesh are unlikely to make any changes in their playing XI.

Probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hosaain, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Mustafizur Rahman.

India

India too might not make any changes to their line-up after one loss. Rishabh Pant fared decently in his maiden appearance at the World Cup. But KL Rahul’s form is a major worry for the team who hasn’t been able to fill in the Shikhar Dhawan’s big shoes. Even MS Dhoni needs to find a way to score runs in crunch chases. Hardik Pandya is losing steam after getting off to good starts at the death and he should to play through and score big.

The bowling attack had a one-off day and should be back to business in this match. Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav have to pick wickets in the middle overs while Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are doing a fine job.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah.

Focus will be on

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

This is not a surprise. This man has been in the form of his life and for a reason, he is the world number 1 all-rounder. With 476 runs and 10 wickets to his name, Shakib Al Hasan could pose a huge threat to India. Once again, the southpaw needs to bat big if Bangladesh are to have any chance of staying alive in the tournament. He will be key even with the ball as India have as many nine right-handed batsmen in their line-up.

KL Rahul (India)

With Mayank Agarwal expected to join the team soon as Vijay Shankar’s replacement, KL Rahul‘s place looks in danger at the top of the order. This game could be his last chance and then either Rahul will be moved down the order to bat at four or will be dropped depending on how Pant plays. He scored a century against Bangladesh in the warm-ups and should look to bat the same way again.

Head to head

Matches Played – 35 | Bangladesh won – 5 | India won – 29 | No Result – 1

Stat Attack

343 – Rohit Sharma has scored 343 runs at Edgbaston in seven innings at an average of 96.6 with two centuries and as many fifties.

279 – Mashrafe Mortaza has picked only one wicket in this World Cup at an average of 279.

Broadcast Details

TV – Star Sports

Live streaming– Hotstar

Match Timings – 15:00 IST; 10:30 local