India go into Bangladesh ODI sequence with one eye on subsequent 12 months’s World Cup

Since the mix of captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid took over after the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have performed 21 ODIs, the joint-highest for a Test facet together with the West Indies on this interval. Of course, nearly all of those video games slipped beneath the radar in a T20 World Cup 12 months, however not anymore.

After the three-match away sequence towards Bangladesh beginning on Sunday, India have not less than 12 extra ODIs lined up at house, plus doubtlessly half a dozen extra within the subsequent Asia Cup in comparable situations, as they construct as much as the 2023 World Cup which they are going to host.

After the latest ODI sequence in New Zealand that was hampered by rain, stand-in skipper for the tour Shikhar Dhawan had stated that every one these upcoming ODIs in South Asian situations, beginning with the Bangladesh sequence, could be a extra “practical” technique to put together for the World Cup. Dhawan’s level is bolstered by India’s latest previous; of the 21 ODIs they’ve performed beneath this group administration, solely six have been at house, and all the remaining have the truth is been performed outdoors Asia – in South Africa, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

Also, the Bangladesh tour is the primary time captain Rohit and former captain Virat Kohli can be enjoying ODI cricket because the England tour in July. Another first-choice participant, KL Rahul, hit by one harm or one other and workload-managed as properly, has performed a mere six ODI innings since way back to March 2021. So will probably be after fairly a while that India could have at their disposal a more-or-less first-choice ODI batting line-up of Rohit, Dhawan, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul and Rishabh Pant, except for the rested Hardik Pandya and, arguably, Suryakumar Yadav.

Given this truth, it stays to be seen what sort of alternatives the likes of Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tripathi and Rajat Patidar get. Considering there was solely a three-day hole between the tip of the New Zealand tour and the primary ODI in Dhaka, there could possibly be a case for giving a number of the fringe gamers a go on Sunday, and the regulars – Dhawan, Iyer and Pant – who’ve flown in from Christchurch – might play the remaining two matches. It was contemplating this quick interval between the 2 away sequence that the selectors had picked a 17-man squad for Bangladesh, because the now-outgoing chief selector Chetan Sharma had knowledgeable then.

There can be extra alternatives out there on the bowling entrance, with Mohammed Shami’s harm now added to the continued absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. The wrist-spin pair of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will not be a part of this journey as properly, with the finger-spin of Axar Patel and Washington Sundar anticipated to be efficient on the sluggish pitches in Bangladesh. Again, with pacers Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Umran Malik flying in from New Zealand, will Kuldeep Sen get a possibility on Sunday? And if and when Umran Malik performs, how potent will he be on these surfaces?

The Indian assault is coming off a poor ODI sequence in New Zealand. They had been blown away by Tom Latham and Kane Williamson in Auckland, unable to exert a lot strain whereas defending 306. They had solely 219 to work with in Christchurch, however on a useful monitor, had been once more ineffective as New Zealand moved to 104 for 1 in 18 overs earlier than rain ended the match.

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No walkover

Conditions can be vastly completely different in Bangladesh, however the opponents could possibly be no much less tough. Bangladesh don’t get sufficient credit score for having constructed up a formidable ODI file at house over the previous decade or so – they’ve misplaced only one sequence since 2014. On India’s final journey there, again in 2015, they misplaced the ODI sequence 1-2.

Rohit is properly conscious of the problem the hosts might pose. “In the last 7-8 years, the Bangladesh team has been a different team, a very challenging team. We have not had easy wins against them. We have had to play good cricket to win against them and every time we played them, it has been a close game. Even in the T20 World Cup, it was a close game,” Rohit stated forward of the sequence opener.

“And we lost the 2015 series last time we were here. By no means do we come here thinking that it is going to be a cakewalk for us. We know they are a good team, a very improved team in the last few years, so we will have to play good cricket to win this. It is not going to be easy for us.”

Even with out the presence of the injured Tamim Iqbal and Taskin Ahmed, Bangladesh have the companies of veterans Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah within the center order. Liton Das, who had India apprehensive within the T20 World Cup with a glowing knock, will lead in Tamim’s absence, and the artful Mustafizur Rahman, who introduced himself to the world with a five-for on debut towards the Indians in 2015, will lead the bowling assault.

With a sequence win towards the neighbours of their yard now not assured, particularly on this format, India have some work to do. At the identical time, in addition they have the World Cup behind their minds, however Rohit stated that it was necessary to not get too caught up simply with the final word purpose. “The World Cup is still 8-9 months from now. We cannot think so far ahead. We will keep an eye on what we need to do as a team, where we need to improve,” he stated.

“I think it is important for us to not start thinking about too many things – the World Cup, this is the combination, that is the combination, we need to play this guy, that guy. Me and coach have a fair idea as to what we want to do and we will narrow it down once we get closer to the World Cup. But we do want to play good cricket till we come close to the World Cup.”