Nidahas Trophy: India Needs to Watch Out For Rejuvenated Bangladesh

India may have registered two relatively comfortable victories against Bangladesh in the group stage of the ongoing Nidahas Trophy, but on Sunday (March 18) in the final, the Rohit Sharma-led side needs to be right at their toes against the rejuvenated Tigers if they want to continue their winning streak.

History has repeatedly shown us that Bangladesh become a dangerous side when they are emotionally changed up. And currently, following the breathtaking victory against Sri Lanka in a virtual semi-final on Friday they are oozing with confidence. The Tigers have tasted blood and now they want to carry this momentum forward.

Furthermore, remember, just before the Sri Lanka game, they have been reinforced with the inclusion of star all-rounder and T20I skipper Shakib al Hasan. Hence, there will be a huge difference in the quality and in the confidence level between the two Bangladesh teams — the one which surrendered against India twice in the group stages and the one which will take the field on Sunday.

Although the Indian bowlers have done a decent job for the most part of the tournament but, everyone is aware of their inexperience. Bangladesh would like to exploit this weakness. Don’t’ forget, there are people like Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib in the opposition line-up, who are around at the international arena for more than a decade now. We also know what the likes of Mahmudullah and Liton Das are capable of. So, the Bangladesh batting has a fair bit of firepower.

The flat nature of the R Premadasa wicket has always helped the batsmen in this competition. Especially, defending a total is not an easy task here. Also, the met department has predicted a 50 percent chance of a thunderstorm in Colombo on tomorrow evening. So, ideally, both captains would like to field first and if the Bangladesh bat second in this game, then the inexperienced Indian bowling can face a stiff ask. And if the conditions are wet, then it will be a huge disadvantage for the Indian spinners.

Meanwhile, for India, it is highly likely that Jaydev Unadkat might come in the playing XI in place of Mohammed Siraj, who had a poor outing in the previous game.

In batting, the Indians will look towards their experienced openers to get the team a solid foundation. Skipper Rohit’s comeback to form in the last game must have been a huge sigh of relief for the team management. However, there is still a concern regarding the middle-order, as it hasn’t been tested properly in the competition. Someone like Vijay Shankar and Washington Sundar are yet to get an opportunity to bat here.

So, India lose two-three wickets up front, there are chances that the middle-order can crumble under the pressure of a finale. Hence, with the new ball, Rubel Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman will be the key for Bangladesh. Also, In the middle-overs Shakib’s left-arm spin will be handy for them.

In recent years, Bangladesh have lost quite a few high-profile matches against India in multi-team events, which include the Quarter-final of 2015 World Cup, the 2016 Asia Cup final and 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final. So, on Sunday, they will go all-out to pull one back. And one thing is sure, the energetic Bangladeshis will give their everything on the field.

Hence, the Indians cannot take anything for granted, despite their 7-0 record against Bangladesh in the T20Is.

India probable XI: Rohit Sharma (V), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Bangladesh probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Shakib Al Hasan (C), Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Nazmul Islam.

Match starts: 7 PM IST