Chance for India to make fresh start

Match Facts

Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)

The Big Picture

The seniors may have returned, but by no means can India anticipate an easy warm-up before taking on more fancied teams. The Zimbabwe tour taught their under-strength side to respect weaker teams and to not take things for granted. It was also a reality check on their bench strength, exposing more weaknesses than positives. It seemed like the IPL hangover lingered for much longer than it should have.

Though the results were far from ideal - there were three defeats in four games, including two against Zimbabwe - it was a learning experience. The fast-bowling back-up is still work in progress, so much will be expected from the likes of Zaheer Khan to not only carry the attack, but also guide the rookies from here on in.

The pressure that comes with defeat is nothing new to the current Indian set-up, and their captain MS Dhoni is confident of a turnaround. Experimentation will continue till the World Cup, perhaps to a lesser extent, but Dhoni will have to ensure the intensity doesn't drop against teams like Bangladesh, who are capable of surprises.

Bangladesh flattered to deceive as a team in their recent Tests against England, which they lost 0-2. There were some memorable individual performaces - from Tamim Iqbal for example - but as a unit, they lost the plot. Strong top-order starts were followed by collapses, as a matter of routine. The middle order looked scratchy and incapable of carrying on the job. But their captain Shakib Al Hasan acknowledges they're a far better limited-overs side, with their spinners having a better chance to succeed. The slow surface at Dambulla should suit them.

Form guide (most recent first)

India LLWLL
Bangladesh LLLLL

Watch out for...

If Bangladesh have to name one world-class batsman who can walk into any line-up, it would have to be Tamim Iqbal. Tamim is a player who combines power with elegance, traits he shares with India's Virender Sehwag. If it is there to be hit, he will dish out the treatment, irrespective of the state of the match or his own innings. He walloped hundreds at Lord's and Old Trafford, and was a class apart from his colleagues down the order. Like Sehwag, he also doesn't believe in scratching around in the nervous nineties.

Virender Sehwag himself is meanwhile returning from a shoulder injury. For the second year in a row, his absence hurt India at the World Twenty20, with Gautham Gambhir out of sorts in the West Indies. India will be relieved to have Sehwag back after the woes of M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Naman Ojha at the top in Zimbabwe.

Team news

Saurabh Tiwary is the only new face for India, but it's uncertain if they will try him out immediately. The seniors will get first preference because they've had a month's break and will have to get back in to the groove quickly. While the batsmen pick themselves, it will be interesting to see if India go in with a second spinner, in which case R Ashwin or Pragyan Ojha could edge Praveen Kumar out of the eleven.

India (likely) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautham Gambhir, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha/R Ashwin/Praveen Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra

Mohammad Ashraful was handed a lifeline in England but failed yet again. Will he get another chance?

Bangladesh (likely) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Mohammad Ashraful, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Naeem Islam, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Abdur Razzak

Quotes

"This is a new beginning before the World cup, fielding and fitness are a priority, and the players have realised they have to work on it."
Gary Kirsten harps on the area where India have a lot of homework to do.

"The boys are really looking forward to this tournament. It is very important for us. We know it's a very difficult task but not impossible."
Shakib Al Hasan knows that a couple of upsets could put his team in the business end of the tournament.