ICC Cricket World Cup 2019:  Eyes on the final four

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019:  Eyes on the final four

Birmingham: Smarting from their damaging defeat to host England, India square up against Bangladesh in a contest that has a lot riding on it at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground here on Tuesday.  

India are virtually in the knockouts although officially, they are a win away with two games left. For Bangladesh, it’s must-win territory after England’s win on Sunday and they will have to win both games to stand a chance of making the semifinal. 

Against England, chinks in India’s game-play came to the fore; a lacklustre performance by the spin department, coupled with the approach of the middle-order in a failed chase, will be a point of contention as they aim to quickly regroup.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have been really impressive in this World Cup, consistently testing the world’s best teams.

Mashrafe Mortaza has led his troops excellently against some top-quality sides and his captaincy will once again be tested against India.

India’s team selection
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is fit for selection, but may have to sit out another match as India ponder a third spinner on a dry Edgbaston surface.

Getting the right team selection has never been trickier for India in this World Cup, as they seek to confirm their semi-final passage against a very good Bangladesh outfit.

India have been the most consistent side in this tournament but still, find themselves well short of top spot. Virat Kohli’s men will have to win both their remaining games and hope Australia lose their final game if they are to climb to the summit of the table.

The key player for India remains 30-year-old Kohli. The master of the white ball, with 41 ODI centuries, has hit 382 runs in the tournament so far at an average of 63.

After getting only 18 in India’s opener against South Africa, his scores in the five completed matches since then have been 82 (against Australia), 77 (Pakistan), 67 (Afghanistan), 72 (West Indies) and 66 (England).

“If you don’t have major contributions from the middle order then someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar lower down becomes really important,” India batting coach Sanjay Bangar said. 

“Anyone who is handy at No. 8, and it could be Jadeja, gives you some freedom. It takes the pressure off those batting at six and seven so that they can start going at the bowling a little earlier,” he added.

Wounded Tiger
Bangladesh’s hot-and-cold tournament has now come down to them needing wins in both their remaining games, and then hoping for a favourable outcome from New Zealand’s next fixture. The side will be buoyed by the possible return of Mahmudullah in the middle-order, who is recovering quickly from his calf injury, and is expected to make it to the playing XI.

Three of their last four head-to-heads against India have resulted in heavy defeats, although they will take heart from their last meeting. Defending 223 they gave India a fright who squeezed home off the final ball with three wickets left.

As ever, they will be reliant on Shakib-al-Hasan with bat and ball. Shakib is the third-highest run scorer in the tournament with 476. His ten wickets have cost 30 each. It’s player of the tournament form if Bangladesh were to make the semis.

It’s not been a one-man show with the ball. Mohammad Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman also have ten wickets each. But as a unit they have had consistent problems in the last two years with bowling average and economy—only West Indies and Sri Lanka fare worse.

Mahmudullah’s fitness is being monitored and he is likely to play this game, which means that there aren’t any other selection worries for Bangladesh at the moment.

Whether or not Liton Das will continue to open is a question that they will ponder upon, given Soumya Sarkar’s ineffective nature in the middle order and old ball. It won’t be a bad idea to slot the left-hander at the top on a used pitch.

Used surface
With this match likely to be on the same surface, India’s bowlers will need to be smarter in using the long boundary, a critical aspect for the match. There is a chance that Bhuvneshwar Kumar might come back to bolster the batting depth and death bowling but Mohammad Shami seems indispensable currently. Either he or one of the spin twins will have to make way in such a scenario but on a slower surface, it’s a tough call.

Bangladesh will be more than happy to see the slow surface at Edgbaston as that suits their spin-reliant bowling attack with the pacers also depending mostly on variations and cutters.

They do have a balanced side at the moment and despite the big defeat in the warm-up game against India, should be able to pose some threat. The Asia Cup final last year is a clear indicator.

A competitive game awaits at Edgbaston, and Indians will be keen to get back to winning ways after a subdued display on Sunday. Given the nature of the match, Bangladesh are expected to come out all guns blazing. Considering India’s World Cup history with Bangladesh, expect a baptism of fire!

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