‘You have to be mentally ready to play against a top side like India’: Bangladesh veteran batter ahead of ODI series against Men in Blue

India and Bangladesh are gearing up for the upcoming three-match ODI series which is set to kick off from December 4 but right before the start of the series, Bangladesh have dealt with back-to-back blows. While Bangladesh skipper has been ruled out of the entire series owing to groin injury, their star pacer Taskin Ahmed will miss the ODI opener due to recurring back pain.

With such setbacks it will be a task cut out for the Tigers when they will pace a comparatively stronger Indian side.    

Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal feels that Bangladesh need to be mentally prepared and on their toes for the challenge that lies ahead of them in form of India. Bangladesh have been impressive in the 50-over format this year and was on top of the World Cup Super League points table, having defeated South Africa 2-1 back in March.

The left-handed Tamim said that lack of match-practice before the series could make it tough for the hosts to perform against a ‘top side’ like the Men in Blue.

"The only worrying part is that we haven't played ODI cricket in the last three-four months. We have played a lot of T20s due to the World Cup. These two are very different formats. To get into the ODI mindset is very important. You have to be mentally ready to play against a top side like India," Tamim was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.

Tamim spoke about preparing well for the 50-over World Cup next year on Indian soil, saying that players need to have clarity about their roles in the team.

We know who our best 17-18 players are in this format. It is time to get it down to 15 for the World Cup. Everyone understands their role. But there's one or two positions that you are looking for, so this series is good to fill in those spots,” he stated.

Bangladesh have already qualified for the World Cup, but Tamim warned the Tigers against being complacent.

"We can't relax just because we have qualified. That's not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to do well in the World Cup, and for that we have to do well in these series. If we are not doing well, we can find out where we have to improve," Tamim added.

Tamim, in the meantime, has been ruled out of the ODI series after he sustained a groin injury during a warm-up match on Wednesday. The Tigers also won’t be having fast bowler Taskin Ahmed for the opening ODI as he is recovering from a back injury.

Iqbal has a decent record against India in ODIs with 596 runs from 18 innings at an average of 33.11 including seven half-centuries. On the other hand, Taskin has 12 wickets from just six ODIs at an average of 17.16 including best bowling figures of 5/28.

Bangladesh ODI squad: Tamim Iqbal (c), Liton Das, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan Sohan.

India ODI squad: Rohit Sharma(c), KL  Rahul (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, R Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen.

India vs Bangladesh ODI 2022 Schedule