Had it not been for the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the hype and excitement among fans and media would have been tenfold higher surrounding India’s tour of Bangladesh.
However, with the first of the three-match ODI series starting from today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, the World Cup fever seems to have overshadowed the much-anticipated rivalry between the two neighbouring countries.
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But from Bangladesh’s vantage point, the series against a star-studded Indian side will be the beginning of a new journey following the Tigers’ T20 World Cup campaign last month.
Although the series is not part of the ICC World Cup Super League, facing India will surely go a long way in preparing Bangladesh for the upcoming ODI World Cup next year in India, for which the Tigers have already qualified directly.
Focus will be on Liton Das who will be leading Bangladesh in the ODI series in absence of regular skipper Tamim Iqbal after a groin injury sidelined the southpaw. The hosts will also miss in-form seamer Taskin Ahmed in the first ODI due to a back injury.
But Liton will not have a dearth of experience in the side, with Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad all fit and available for the series.
The Tigers will also look up to ace left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, but expecting him to roll back the years and bring back memories of 2015 when he had burst onto the scene with a scintillating performance in India’s last tour of Bangladesh still seem far fetched as the 27-year-old has not had that mojo for a while now.
“Our only aim is to play for win and I think it’s possible to beat them [India]. We have good bowling and batting units. Also, I have 2-3 players who have played international cricket for more than 15 years. I hope that I will get support from them. Our main focus is to win the series and more importantly we want to improve gradually and everyone is excited for the big series,” Liton told the media yesterday.
Rohit Sharma and his troops, on the other hand, are taking this series as a build up for the next years’ ICC ODI World Cup at home and with players like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul available for the series, it is apparent that India are in no mood to take the Tigers lightly
“Oh, I think it has been an exciting rivalry for all these years,” Rohit told the media yesterday.
“Bangladesh have been a different team in the past 7-8 years. They are a very challenging team and we did not have easy wins against them. We have to play good cricket to win. And every time we played them, it has been a very close encounter.
“Even in the T20 World Cup it was a close game. I think in 2015 we lost the series here. We know they have become a very improved team in the last few years. So we have to play our best cricket to win this. It is not going to be easy for us,” Rohit said.
Source : TheDailyStar
