Bangladesh will bank on their pacers and all-rounders to outsmart India in their Group A ICC Champions Trophy clash on Thursday in Dubai, according to skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto. Making their sixth appearance in the tournament, Bangladesh’s best outing came in 2017 when the then Shakib Al Hasan-led side qualified for the semifinals.
With no Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal in an ICC Champions Trophy, this Bangladesh side is going through a transition. While skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyadh spearhead the batting, their bowling department also consists a few familiar names in Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Not to forget, Bangladesh have also named young pacer Nahid Rana, whose ability to to generate extra bounce and pace will trouble the batters. Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s off-spin will add to Bangladesh’s weapons to apply pressure on the opposition.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Najmul Hossain Shanto emphasized on Bangladesh’s bowling attack, especially Nahid Rana. “All departments we have to play well to have any chance against India. We have good memories against India,” he said on Wednesday.
“If we execute our plan we have a good chance,” Shanto said during the pre-match press conference. We have got some good all rounders. We are depending on them. All teams are capable of winning.
“We fancy our chances. We are not thinking too much, we have some good fast bowlers. We are very happy to have fast bowler like (Nahid) Rana. If he plays, then he will do the job. We have good balance of spin and fast bowlers,” added Najmul Hossain Shanto.
The 22-year-old Nahid Rana has done well in his nascent career, having taken 20 wickets in six Tests and four scalps in three ODIs for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh ‘not thinking’ of Bumrah’s absence
One of the good news for India’s opponents is the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out due to a back injury. However, Najmul Hossain Shanto said they are “not thinking of Bumrah or any other individual.”
Dubai has so far hosted 58 ODIs with an average first innings score being 218, and Najmul Hossain Shanto said his batters will need to adapt to the conditions faster.
“In BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) couple of batters batted very well. We need to adjust. It’s not very high scoring compared to Pakistan. We have a lot of supporters. We expect crowd to come and support us,” he said.
