Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe kept the media waiting for close to 30 minutes before arriving for his news conference on Wednesday evening.
Just as he made his way into the arena and settled down in his chair, a motley gathering inside the stadium started chanting “Jeetega bhai jeetega, India jeetega”. Unruffled by the din, he put up a straight face not willing to step into any temptation.
Can the underdogs put in another scintillating performance? That was the common refrain but Hathurusinghe remained unmoved.
“We have had success in the recent past against India, but then when you come to the World Cup it’s a very different game altogether. We need to perform to our potential since India are probably the in-form team in this tournament,” said Hathurasinghe.
The former Sri Lankan cricketer was being pragmatic though he was being constantly reminded of Bangladesh’s success against India in the 2007 edition. They are also drawing hope from the fact that Bangladesh have won three out of their last four meetings against India.
The Indian batters’ vulnerability against left-arm spin too has raised their expectations — 42 wickets have been conceded to left-arm spinners while leg-spinners and off-spinners have taken 21 and 24 wickets, respectively. Therein lies Shakib-al Hasan’s importance. The Bangladesh captain has a grade 1 quadricep tear and according to the coach, the results of a scan done on Wednesday are awaited before taking a final call.
Shakib though hasn’t felt any discomfort but didn’t report for practice on the match-eve. The seasoned pro will not be willing to concede any ground in the mental warfare and that has sparked hopes of his featuring in the XI.
He has an enterprising record against Virat Kohli, having dismissed him five times in ODIs, more reason for the Bangladesh captain to play.
For the Indians, Shakib’s presence matters little. “He has done well, he is a champion player, he is handy, he bats for the team, he bowls well, he bowls in the Powerplay... you got to give that to him. But for us it doesn’t really matter,” bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said.
Given the Indian batters’ marauding mood and the short boundaries at the MCA Stadium, it would take some effort from Bangladesh bowlers to apply the brakes. The fresh wicket will host the first of the five matches at the venue on Thursday and the bounce and the carry are sure to help the stroke-makers.
The Bangladesh pace attack has lost most of its bite though Mustafizur Rahman has performed in fits and starts. Unless they make early inroads, it would be difficult to put a leash on the run-rate. How Bangladesh bat will dictate the outcome.
The Indians don’t wish to disturb their winning combination but Mohammed Shami could still get a look-in. There was a slight drizzle on Wednesday evening, enough to cut short Bangladesh’s practice. But no such luck could await Bangladesh’s fortunes.
Six games to go and counting
Pune: The events of the last few days when Afghanistan and the Netherlands won against fancied opponents have opened up this World Cup, feels Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe.
“Because of what happened last week, the World Cup is really opening. We are all inspired by that,” Hathurusinghe said on Wednesday.
Bangladesh have lost two of their three games till now.
“We have six games to go, we still think we can win those. That’s the motivation and inspiration,” the coach said.
“I can only ask my team to do 100 per cent and to give our best. I have no little control of the outcome after that. If we play to our potential, I think we can beat any team.
“We are not performing yet to our expectations. I know that the players want to do better. We haven’t had a complete performance in the batting group,” Hathurusinghe said.
“Bangladesh’s fast-bowling unit can be the key given the conditions. They have done well in the past. They haven’t done enough recently and we have spoken about it. They can do better than this, and they have done in the past.”
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