7 reasons why India shouldn’t take Bangladesh lightly at all
Bangladesh’s performances have made it clear that they aren’t a team to be taken for granted.
They are a highly spirited, gritty group of players who won’t go down without a fight.
India should keep the following things in mind when they face the Tigers at the MCG in the World Cup quarter-finals.
1. Bangladesh are a good team
They might be lower-ranked, but Bangladesh have a solid, all-round unit. They have a strong batting line-up that combines the experience of Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah with the fresh new talent of Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal and Taskin Ahmed.
Mashrafe Mortaza has led the bowling unit from the front, Rubel Hussain has already shown his skill against England and we all know how dangerous Shakib can be with his spin.
2. They’ve beaten India once, and they can do it again.
Bangladesh comprehensively defeated India in Port of Spain during their 2007 World Cup encounter.
And guess who the Man-of-the-Match was in that game. It was their current skipper Mortaza, who took 4 wickets in that fixture.
Not only that, Mushfiqur, Shakib and Tamim were all involved as they each scored a fifty in Bangladesh’s successful chase.
3. They have just beaten England
You can say that England were awful throughout the tournament. But all said and done, they are a team full of some of the world’s top players, such as, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad and Eoin Morgan.
The fact is that Bangladesh were hungrier, sharper and better in every aspect of the game. Victory was nothing more than what they deserved.
4. They almost beat New Zealand
#NZ may have pulled off a last min win over @BCBTigers but this man did manage to steal a million hearts! #NZvBAN pic.twitter.com/EdzjenhJnw
— LIV Sports (@LIVSportsIndia) March 13, 2015
This is perhaps the biggest reason to fear Bangladesh. New Zealand’s bowlers have dominated almost every single opposition in this tournament.
And Bangladesh managed to post 288 against the likes of Boult, Southee and Vettori on their home turf. Not only that, they almost pulled off a thrilling win in the end.
5. They have already chased down a 300-plus total
Well done @BCBtigers !! Second highest run chase in Cricket World Cup history! #BANvSCO #WorldCup2015 pic.twitter.com/E6a4sh0E4o
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 5, 2015
Alright, their chase of 319 came against Scotland. But even top teams panic in tall chases sometimes. The ease with which Bangladesh got the job done almost defies their ODI ranking.
6. They don’t go down easily
Their performance against New Zealand was proof of their desire and determination. Their only other defeat in the group came against Sri Lanka.
And even after the Lankans posted 332, the tigers didn’t give up the fight till the end. They bundled out for 240 in the end, but Sabbir Rahman, Shakib and Mushfiqur put up a mighty resistance that made Sri Lankans work for 47 overs.
7. And finally, they have nothing to lose
Being the defending champions, India will be clear favourites to win this one. And that’s what would probably take a lot of the pressure off of Bangladesh.
They will play with a lot of freedom and give it their all since they have already exceeded expectations in this competition.
