3 reasons why Bangladesh have a strong chance of inflicting a 3-0 whitewash on Team India 

Team India will take on Bangladesh in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Saturday, December 10. The Men in Blue have already conceded the series by losing the first two games. However, they will have pride to play for in the third ODI and will be keen to avoid a 3-0 whitewash.

The Men in Blue went down by one wicket in the opening ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. Batting first, they were bundled out for a disappointing 186 in 41.2 overs. Their bowlers fought hard in the chase, but the hosts eventually sneaked home to victory with a solitary wicket in hand.

Team India needed to win the second match, which was also played in Dhaka, to stay alive in the series. This time Bangladesh batted first and put up a competitive 271/7 on the board. The target was a gettable one, but India only managed to get as far as 266/9, thus losing their second consecutive ODI bilateral series in Bangladesh.

During the previous tour in 2015, MS Dhoni-led Team India managed to avoid a whitewash by winning the dead rubber. However, we look at three reasons why Bangladesh have a strong chance of registering a 3-0 series triumph over the Men in Blue.

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#1 India will be pretty low on confidence

It has been pretty evident in the first two matches that Team India have not been a confident side in the ongoing one-day series. What else can explain the fact that the visitors lost both games after being in a position of extreme dominance?

In the opening ODI, India had Bangladesh on the mat at 136/9, defending a total of 186. The bowlers had 50 runs to defend and only needed to claim one wicket. But barring a dropped catch of Mehidy Hasan Miraz by KL Rahul off Shardul Thakur’s bowling, they never threatened Bangladesh's last pair.

Mehidy found the big hits with ridiculous ease, while Mustafizur Rahman also managed to strike a couple of crucial boundaries. The Indian bowlers simply could not build any kind of pressure on Bangladesh’s batters as the match slipped out of their grasp in a shocking fashion.

Something similar transpired in the second ODI as well. Bowling first, Team India were terrific in the first 20 overs and reduced the hosts to 69/6. At that point, with the Men in Blue well on top, it seemed the hosts would find it difficult to reach 125. However, Mehidy (100*) and Mahmudullah (77) added 148 for the seventh wicket to swing the momentum of the match.

Team India’s bowlers were once again clueless as Bangladesh added 200 runs for the loss of just one wicket. The batters also floundered as India slipped to 65/4 in the chase. Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and injured skipper Rohit Sharma did come up with half-centuries. However, it wasn’t enough to take India past the finish line.

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#2 Injuries will force India to play a weakened squad

Multiple injury issues is another reason Team India will start with a massive disadvantage in the third ODI in Chattogram. Skipper Rohit has been ruled out of the final ODI after hurting his thumb in the previous match. He batted valiantly for India, but the visitors will miss his services as batter and leader on Saturday. He has already flown to Mumbai for specialist consultation, a (Board of Control for Cricket in India) BCCI release has confirmed.

Fast bowler Kuldeep Sen complained of stiffness in his back after the first ODI. He has been diagnosed with a stress injury and also won’t be available for the third game. Pacer Deepak Chahar has also rejoined the injury list. He sustained a left hamstring strain during the previous match and has been ruled out of the series.

Team India have added left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav to the squad for the third and final ODI. However, they still look like a rather weak side. The top order has struggled, with Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli failing to get among the runs. Rahul, as a skipper, does not have a great record. When he led in the ODIs in South Africa at the start of the year in Rohit’s absence, the Men in Blue were hammered 3-0.

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#3 Bangladesh look supreme in home conditions

Bangladesh might not be a good side in T20Is and Tests, but in ODIs, particularly in home conditions, they are a massive force to reckon with. Their record speaks for itself. They have won 13 of their last 14 bilateral ODI series at home. The last time a visiting side won an ODI series in Bangladesh was in October 2016 when England trounced them 2-1.

In this series as well, Bangladesh have been the better side in comparison to Team India. It can be argued that the matches have been very close and, with a bit of better luck, the visitors could have been 2-0 up in the series. But the fact of the matter remains that the hosts have won the big moments and hence have taken an unassailable lead in the ODI series.

Bangladesh’s batting hero in both games, Mehidy, made a significant statement after his team’s close five-run win in the second ODI. Reflecting on the memorable triumph, he commented:

"We have lost many close matches from the point of winning and it happened a lot against India. After winning these two matches I feel we have crossed a barrier.”

Unlike in the past, Bangladesh have clearly looked like a team that can handle the pressure during defining moments against the Men in Blue.

Taking all perspectives into consideration, the hosts wouldn’t get too many better chances to inflict a whitewash on Team India.

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