India would like to throw the mathematical possibilities out of the window and seal its place in the final of the Nidahas Trophy T20 tri-series when it faces a tricky Bangladesh, here on Wednesday.
Having suffered an unexpected defeat against Sri Lanka in their tournament-opener, it is highly unlikely that India will experiment against a resurgent Bangladesh in its final league stage match.
Bangladesh’s confidence has been boosted by its record 215-run chase against Sri Lanka and a win against India will bolster its chances of making it to the final.
A defeat may not be end of the road for India as it will then depend on the outcome of final game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Net run-rate will also be a factor. With back-to-back victories, India has a healthy net run-rate of +0.21.
No chances
For India, the tournament at the beginning was about giving youngsters a chance in the absence of seasoned players but for a side which is always under scanner, results will be paramount and that effectively stops it from being adventurous in team selection.
Players like Deepak Hooda, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel are yet to play a game, which means the purpose of sending a second string side has not been served. Hooda, for instance, did not get to play even during the home series against Sri Lanka.
India has not got good starts despite Shikhar Dhawan’s blazing form as Rohit Sharma has been dismissed cheaply.
Suresh Raina has got his 20s while Manish Pandey has remained steady in the middle-order. Dinesh Karthik’s knock against Sri Lanka has ensured that Rishabh Pant will continue to warm the dug-out.
The bigger challenge will be faced by the bowlers against an unpredictable batting line-up like Bangladesh.
In their last encounter, India did well to restrict it to 139 but in the very next match, the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim hammered the Sri Lankan attack into submission.
Though IPL’s costliest Indian buy Jaydev Unadkat has been expensive in all the matches, his experience should keep him in the playing XI even though there is Siraj, who is a few clicks quicker compared to the Saurashtra pacer.