"We want to tell world cricket what we can do in India.We want to play in such a way that India invites again and again. This to me is just another Test match,” Mushfiqur Rahim was quoted by Espncricinfo a few days back, and it might just be the warning bells for team India.
But then again you expect Virat Kohli and his men to have a cakewalk in the one-off Test match at Hyderabad against the minnows especially because of the form they are in. But in cricket, it is difficult to predict the future.
This Bangladesh side are not amongst those who would lie down and take a beating. These young bunch of cricketers have improved by leaps and bounds in the past two years or so and can give the hosts a run for their money. Maybe they can also pull off an upset. Here are five reasons why?
#5 Similar playing conditions can be an advantage
A journalist once jokingly said, “If you take a flight from Kolkata to Dhaka, you arrive before you can even lock your seat belt.”
Well, Hyderabad is a bit far away but the conditions there are quite similar. The visitors will relish playing in such an environment on which they have been brought up and might just pull something special out of the hat.
Also, they have been here for a few days now, and have acclimatised to the conditions. They are also playing a tour game as part of their preparations, so India should be ready to face a stiff fight when they the two sides lock horns on February 9.
#4 They will take confidence from the Test match win against England
In their last tour to New Zealand, Bangladesh were thrashed left, right and centre. They were whitewashed in the ODIs, T20s and the Test matches. But winning in New Zealand with the ball seaming around is never easy.
Even top sides like Australia are struggling, so they would not want to dwell on it much. They would take a huge confidence from the fact that in the first Test they scored a massive 595 in those conditions. They would also turn back to the England series where they nearly won the first but then pocketed the second with aplomb.
England are a great outfit and beating them is never easy. Also, the conditions will be quite the same in Hyderabad, maybe they will be able to turn the tables.
#3 They have run India close in limited overs competitions
It is not the 90s anymore where an India-Bangladesh contest would always be a one-sided affair. Things have changed now. Remember 2007? When Bangladesh ousted India from the World Cup?
They also worried India a bit in the 2015 World Cup. A no-ball call aided India in getting past 300 but things could have been quite different if Rohit Sharma had got out at that point of time.
Then came the World T20 in 2016. Chasing India’s score of 146, Bangladesh agonisingly fell short by a run. Had it not been for MS Dhoni’s cheetah-like sprint and run out of the last ball, India would have crashed out of the tournament, much earlier.
Now, these close games are sure to boost Bangladesh’s confidence ahead of the Test, as they will believe they can give India a run for their money.
#2 Bangladesh have quality spinners in their ranks and match winners
Just a year back Mehedi Hasan Miraz was sweating it out for the Bangladesh in the Under-19 World Cup, now he is a trusted spinner for the senior team. The 19-year-old stole the limelight on his debut Test itself when he grabbed 7 wickets against England.
In the next Test, he bettered his own performance to pick up 12. His flight, guile and drifters proved too difficult to handle for the English batsmen. With the Hyderabad pitch turning, it could just be a strip he needs.
The Tigers also have their favourite son, Shakib Al Hasan who is a match winner with both the ball and the bat. If Shakib fires with either of the two, Bangladesh becomes quite a difficult opposition to counter. However, they are going to miss their trump card Mustafizur Rahman who is out with an injury.
#1 If India underestimates them
At times when you are in rollicking form, you tend to lose focus and become vulnerable. Bangladesh will be hoping for the same. Kohli and his team have not lost 18 Test matches at a stretch and they would not want that streak to be broken.
But then again there are always chinks in the armour and Bangladesh needs to find those. The biggest one will be off course underestimating the Tigers. The scenario is quite possible as India have Australia travelling to them next and a one-off Test might just be a hindrance to their preparation for the series. In their desperate attempt to get this out of their way quickly they might lose the plot.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
