When India take on Bangladesh in the opening match of the 2016 Asia Cup at Dhaka, they will be keen not to fumble. The last time India played a limited overs series in the country, they were handed an embarrassing 2-1 defeat. Even though the format has changed, Bangladesh would be keen to maintain the psychological edge they gained over India following that ODI series win. It has been a while since that loss though, and India will go into the series in a more confident frame of mind. Although they lost the T20s and ODIs at home against South Africa, they followed it up with wins in Australia, and against Sri Lanka at home.
The major worry for India as they head into the opening match of the series will be the fitness of their skipper MS Dhoni, who injured himself during training. It is still not clear whether Dhoni will feature in the Asia Cup opener on Wednesday. That decision is likely to be taken at the last minute. Parthiv Patel has been flown in as replacement. But, in case, Dhoni is unavailable for the game, it would be a major blow for the team as it would upset the team combination. Unlike Dhoni, Parthiv is not a big hitter, and if he has to bat, it cannot be in the slog offers for it can have an impact on the run-rate at a crucial stage in the match. At the same time, it will be an opportunity for Parthiv to make a statement.
India will be extremely pleased with the batting combination going into the first match against Bangladesh. In Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, they have a stable opening combination, who can prove to deadly. Rohit has been consistent in limited overs while Dhawan has found a way out of trouble with some smashing knocks, which have also benefited the team, and hopefully will in the long run as well. After being rested against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli is back, and should be drafted into his favourite number three spot. Suresh Raina has tasted success at number four. So, he should stay there, with Yuvraj Singh to follow, and then the all-rounders.
After a long while, an Indian bowling attack is looking threatening. And, this is thanks to the youth-experience combo of Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra. While Bumrah has caught a number of batsmen off guard with his accuracy and unconventional action, Nehra has been canny with his variations. India's bowling strengths have only just begun though. In Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, they have two spinners who can be match winners on their day. Ashwin, in particular, goes into the series having been in spectacular form. With conditions favouring spin, they will be expected to do well. It will also be interesting to observe whether India play Pawan Negi or Harbhajan Singh in any of the matches.
Bangladesh, conversely, would be raring to do well, especially after the kind of success they had tasted in recent games. Their batting is weakened to an extent, since Tamim Iqbal has opted out owing to the birth of his child, and has been replaced by Imrul Kayes. Having said that, there is no dearth of talent and experience in the batting with the likes of Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar, and Mushfiqur Rahim among others. Bangladesh are also strong in the all-round department, with the versatile Shakib Al Hasan being supported by Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain. In the bowling, India will come face to face with two nemesis in Mustafizur Rahman and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. The Indians might not have it easy despite their recent success then.
-- By A Cricket Analyst
