Facing an inconsistent Bangladesh side might be the best chance for India to seal a spot in the semifinal when the two sides meet in Adelaide on Wednesday, November 2, for their fourth match of the 2022 T20 World Cup Super 12 match. The Men in Blue overcame a staunch Pakistan bowling attack to win their first match, before brushing aside the Netherlands. But in their third game, the frailties of India's batting were laid bare during their five-wicket loss to South Africa on Sunday, October 30.
The rude jolt the famed Indian batting line-up got on the paciest of tracks in Perth would have left the coaching staff, especially coach Rahul Dravid, pondering a few points.
The 22 runs in three matches with flop show against big teams like Pakistan and South Africa has once again raised questions about KL Rahul's big-match temperament and technique against quality attacks.
However, KL Rahul might continue as opener as Dravid has unshakeable faith in the fellow Bengaluru player's ability. Bangladesh, not the most decorated of T20 sides in this competition due to their mediocre bowling attack, might just be the ideal opposition for Rahul to gain some form.
The attack comprising Mustafizur Rahaman, Taskin Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraj, skipper Shakib al Hasan and Hasan Mahmud is decent but certainly not world class by any standards. Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli have already played brilliant knocks while Rohit Sharma looked good in his fifty against the Netherlands.
However, Pant's exclusion from the playing XI is pretty baffling as he and Suryakumar Yadav bring that x-factor in the batting line-up. Dinesh Karthik's back spasms issue might just be a blessing in disguise for the Indian team. It may open up the opportunity for Pant's inclusion in the playing XI for the Bangladesh game.
When will the match between the two teams start?
The match between the two teams will take place on November 02 and start at 1:30 PM IST.
On which channel will you be able to watch the match?
The match between India and Bangladesh will be telecasted on Star Sports network.
How to watch live stream?
Fans will be able to watch this match live on Hotstar.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Deepak Hooda
Bangladesh: Shakib al Hasan (captain), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraj, Shoriful Islam, Ebadot Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Litton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Yasir Ali, Nasum Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman
(With PTI inputs)
