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After disappointing results in New Zealand, the Indian team gears up for a tour in Bangladesh where the Men in Blue will play three ODIs and two Tests. The team travelling to Bangladesh will see a major overhaul in comparison to the team for New Zealand as many veteran stars return to the camp.
Ahead of the first ODI, Indian captain Rohit Sharma reflected on the tour and his team’s mindset facing Bangladesh. 'The Hitman' stated that the Men in Blue aren't considering this tour as a ‘cakewalk’ and hope for some serious competition. He also called Bangladesh a more ‘improved’ team in the last few years.
"For the last 7-8 years, Bangladesh has been a different side. They have been a challenging team. We have not had easy wins against them and had to play good cricket against them to win. It was close during the ICC T20 World Cup. We lost a series in 2015 here. By no means we have come here thinking it is going to be a cakewalk for us. They are a very improved team," said Rohit in a pre-match press conference.
Rohit Sharma further talked about the multiple injuries in the Bangladesh camp as they will be without stars like veteran batter Tamim Iqbal and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed. Sharma expressed that these injuries will allow younger players to showcase their skills on the global stage.
The Indian captain said, "Of course, they have some quality players. They are going to miss their experienced players. But it is going to give the opportunity to others to play well. These two have been match-winners for Bangladesh and have done well for years."
India’s squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, Umran Malik.
