Published: Jun 17, 2015, 10:52 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 17, 2015, 10:52 AM (IST)
The second and final leg of India’s tour of Bangladesh 2015 begins with the first One-Day International (ODI) at Dhaka, wherein the teams would clash with a lot at stake. While this series will be a real test of Bangladesh‘s resurgence in the format, a full-strength India will have to watch out for the firepower in their opponents’ ranks as they have the ability to beat the best on their day. READ: India vs Bangladesh 2015, 1st ODI at Dhaka: India likely XI
The last time these two sides clashed in a 50-over game, protests and anger sparked in Bangladesh over the supposed erroneous decision which went in favour of Rohit Sharma in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final. Though India ended up thrashing Bangladesh in that match, the memory of that painful loss clearly resides in the memories of their fans. There would certainly be a lot of interest as to how Mashrafe Mortaza’s men handle the might of India.
If Bangladesh played out of their skin in the 2015 World Cup, they roared against Pakistan in the series that followed, thereby repaying their ardent fans. A clean sweep (3-0) of a side as strong as Pakistan no more comes under the category of fluke, and Bangladeshi cricketers know they have entered a dominion they cannot wander about carelessly like they did in the past. READ: Bangladesh can gain more than India in upcoming ODI series
The young guns in Soumya Sarkar and Taskin Ahmed will surely pose a threat to India, but Bangladesh will rue the fact that their batting mainstay Mahmudullah will miss out on the action. The presence of Mominul Haque in the middle-order should cover the chasm left by Mahmudullah’s unavailability, and if he combines with Mushfiqur in this series to do the bulk of the scoring, India will face a tough challenge.
On the other hand, a full-strength India would aim to thwart the Bangladeshi rejuvenation with disdain. Perhaps that is why the Indian selectors decided to send the likes of MS Dhoni and a few others for the limited-overs leg. India’s selection of this full-strength squad acknowledged Bangladeshi rise, and it surely promises to be an exciting affair. READ: India begin preparations for ODI series against Bangladesh
Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma would like to resume from where they left in the World Cup, and Akshar Patel will see this three-match series as an opportunity to cement his place in the team. Ravichandran Ashwin would be India’s frontline bowler, with the tracks supporting spinners and the bowler being all over Bangladesh in the one-off Test.
Rain played more of a role than the cricketers in the Test match that preceded, but India had its centurions in Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay. While Vijay will head back home with others such as Ishant Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, Dhawan will stay back and ensure that he builds on the momentum after a splendid 173 at Fatullah.
The cricket fans from both countries would be pleased to see their favourite cricketers back in national colours, but they must remember that a series organised bang in the middle of the rainy season does not get enough window for a full day game.
Squads:
Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rony Talukdar, Arafat Sunny, Litton Das, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
India: MS Dhoni (c&wk), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni.
Time: 15:00 local | 09:00 GMT | 14:30 IST
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
