India will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Bangladesh in the second T20I match of Nidahas Trophy tri-series at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Thursday, March 8.
Rohit Sharma's men were stunned by hosts Sri Lanka in the tri-nation series opener on Tuesday (March 6) at the same venue. Despite posting 174 on the board, India ended up on the losing side after Kusal Perera hit a match-winning 37-ball 66.
Despite the absence of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Hardik Pandya, India did reasonably well with the bat in the first match. Shikhar Dhawan led the side from the front with a 49-ball 90. However, the Sri Lankan batsmen tore into an inexperienced bowling line-up.
Pacer Shardul Thakur conceded 27 runs off his first over, which swung the momentum early in Sri Lanka's favor. Key campaigners Jaydev Unadkat and Yuzvendra Chahal were also on the expensive side on Tuesday.
Rohit would be hoping for an improved show from the bowlers against Bangladesh as another defeat can dampen their chances of reaching the final of the ongoing tri-series. The tidy performances of all-rounders Suresh Raina and Vijay Shankar with the ball come as a big boost to the third-ranked T20I side.
Nonetheless, India are heading into the match as favorites, given their 5-0 head-to-head record against Bangladesh. The Men in Blue clinched a nail-biting last-ball thriller at the ICC World T20 in 2016, which was also the last time these two teams met in the shortest format of the game.
Live stream and TV listings
- India: TV - DSport, DD Sports; Live stream - Watch DSport, Jio TV
- Bangladesh: TV - GTV
- Sri Lanka: SLRC (Channel Eye); Live stream - Channel Eye
- UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand: Live stream - Yupp TV
Also, Bangladesh have managed only one win in their last nine T20I matches. The 10th-ranked T20I unit was thrashed by a visiting Sri Lankan side in a two-match series earlier this year.
To add to Bangladesh's woes, skipper Shakib Al Hasan was declared unfit ahead of the ongoing tri-series. The onus to help the team overcome a difficult period falls on Mahmudullah, who has been tasked with the responsibility of leading the side.
Senior campaigners of the likes of Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim need to step up and deliver but a turnaround against India, who will be looking to bounce back, might be an uphill task for Bangladesh.
Match timings
The second match of Nidahas Trophy 2018 between India and Bangladesh will start at 7pm local time, 7pm IST, 1:30pm GMT.
Squads
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Rishabh Pant.
Bangladesh: Mahmudullah (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Abu Jayed, Taskin Ahmed, Imrul Kayes, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan, Ariful Haque, Nazmul Islam, Abu Hider Rony, Liton Das.
