Ind v Ban World T20 Preview: Men in Blue look to continue winning momentum against the Tigers

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently urged his big-hitters to improve their run rate dramatically against Bangladesh on Wednesday or face the prospect of an early exit from the World T20 on home soil. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will be desperate for a win after two straight losses, the latest to Australia by three wickets on Monday. The two teams faced each other twice in the Asia Cup T20 with India getting the better off Bangladesh on both these occasions.

India:

The hosts are precariously placed in fourth spot of Group Two after one defeat and one win. They desperately need a big victory to strengthen their bid for a semi-finals berth. India’s six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday will have boosted their confidence after a shock 47-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening group match. But with a net run-rate of -0.895, India will need a big win to improve this important component.

The likes of openers Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina have failed to deliver thus far and will need to perform to their potential to give some much needed confidence to the team management. Shikhar Dhawan could be replaced by Ajinkya Rahane as the right-hander is a proven performer in the shortest format at the top of the order. One doesn’t expect to see any other changes in the playing XI.

Bangladesh:

Sitting at the bottom of Group Two after also losing to Pakistan, the Tigers have almost no chance of advancing to the semi-finals, but skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has vowed to battle on. The Tigers were left reeling after the ICC’s decision at the weekend to suspend their top bowlers Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed for illegal actions, forcing them to rush in replacements from Bangladesh.

There are also question marks over star batsman Tamim Iqbal who is unwell and did not play against Australia. The Tigers, who reached the Asia Cup final against eventual champions India, are unlikely to qualify for the semis, owing to their poor net run-rate which has left them at the bottom of Group 2. Their bowlers put up a brave face to star-studded Australian batting line-up, making their middle-order struggle with quick dismissals. But they fell short in their bid to win the match as target of 157 proved too short to Australians.

Form guide: (last five completed matches, most recent first)

India WLWWW

Bangladesh LLWWL

Pitch and Conditions:

The pitch at M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore hasn’t hampered strokeplay however has offered more seen during the IPL. The pitch has been on the slower side and spinners from both sides should enjoy bowling on the surface. Seam bowlers should make good use of the cutters since the ball tends to grip on the surface.

Probable XI-

India:  Shikhar Dhawan/Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt and wk), Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashish Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah.

Bangladesh:  Tamim Iqbal/ Mohammad Mithun, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Shuvagata Hom, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider.

Stats:

1. Shakib Al Hasan has scored most fifties, 6, for Bangladesh in T20 internationals.

2. MS Dhoni needs 5 more runs to complete 1000 T20I runs. He will become the first batsman to reach the milestone without scoring a single fifty.