Deadline: November 7, 2019 at 7 PM IST
Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Pitch Report
In four innings at Rajkot, there have been three totals in excess of 190. Yuvraj Singh’s 77* of 35 helped India chase down 202 against Australia in 2013, and 4 years later, Colin Munro muscled India out of the contest with a spectacular hundred. In summary, the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium has thus far been a nightmare for the bowlers, and it is likely to be the same on Thursday. Power your fantasy team with as many batsmen as you can.
Preview
Jasprit Bumrah’s absence is felt every time the match goes down to the wire. On Sunday, when Bangladesh showed no signs of doubt or fear, India needed a bowler who can change the complexion of the game. The bowlers did a good job at keeping a lid on the runs, but they could not take wickets at regular intervals. Soumya Sarkar and Mushfiqur Rahim kept the scoreboard ticking and then launched an onslaught at the death, making a mockery of the chase. To make matters worse for India, they dropped two catches at crucial junctures and got the DRS timing wrong, eventually losing to Bangladesh for the first time in T20Is.
Bangladesh have a knack of taking everyone by surprise. They shocked India in the 2007 World Cup – the tournament most Indians think never happened. 8 years later at home, they beat India 2-1 in ODIs. Although India have dominated Bangladesh otherwise, they will be mindful of the past defeats.
Batting wasn’t a concern for India. It was their depth that took them to a respectable total and that too on a sticky pitch. The bowlers need to pursue attacking brand of cricket, finding ways to take wickets.
Teams
Rishabh Pant often makes headlines for the wrong reasons. He has been surrounded by criticism ever since his admission to international cricket, and he has himself to blame. He has an array of shots in his armoury, but time and again plays the wrong shot and walks back without affecting the scoreboard. With Sanju Samson waiting in the wings, time is running out for Pant.
Khaleel Ahmed conceded 18 runs off the penultimate, changing the equation. India are likely to replace him with Shardul Thakur.
Probable XI for India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant/Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed/Shardul Thakur
Bangladesh need not tinker with their winnings XI. They performed well in all departments.
Probable XI for Bangladesh: Liton Das, Mohammad Naim, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Aminul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain
Players To Watch Out For
Despite India losing wickets, Shikhar Dhawan made sure he doesn’t let Bangladeshi bowlers off the hook. He held the innings together amidst disciplined bowling, letting the lower-order take charge in the death.
Keeping calm under pressure hasn’t been Mushfiqur Rahim’s forte, but that wasn’t the case on Sunday. Not once did he play a rash shot, and when the team needed him to up the ante he smashed four consecutive boundaries, most importantly remaining unbeaten to see his team through.
Shafiul Islam fed on Rohit Sharma’s weakness of playing an incoming delivery. He then outfoxed Rishabh Pant with change in pace. His namesake Aminul wasn’t any less, deceiving KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer with his leg-spinners.
Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of the bowlers for India, finishing with figures of 1 for 24. He would have got 2 wickets had India held on to their catches.
Match Prediction
One defeat won’t dent India’s confidence. Given Rohit’s captaincy record, he makes dramatic comebacks. However, if his men repeat the same mistakes, we might see Bangladesh pull off another upset against their arch-rivals.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Shivam Dube, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shardul Thakur
Bangladesh: Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mahmudullah (c), Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Aminul Islam, Abu Hider Rony, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Isla, Taijul Islam
