Wear your gloves, put on the headgear, strap down your pads because on February 19, 2011 in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year it's going to get down and dirty not to mention bloody. Throw in the salt, pinch some in as you see the mismatched weigh-ins because any signs of complacency is bound to leave you a taste of salinity.
Four years elapsed since India was knocked out of the World Cup in 2007 by Bangladesh. Lot has happened since then to both sides. Gritty India is determined to make sure that the repeat of the past incident would likely be a
jamais vu, while Bangladesh would be keen to prove otherwise.
If the recent display of Yusuf Pathan's century was any indicator of India's powerhouse, then the Bangladeshis have a lot to worry about as men who can pack a punch like him are dime a dozen, more than enough to give the Bangladeshis a run for their money. Bettors need not rack their brains much as scales are heavily tipped in favors of the Indians.
Gone may be Ganguly and Utthapa with Patel as a distant memory but most of the heavyweights from the Indian squad of the
8th match of previous World Cup are still around having found themselves to contend with explosive new batsmen funneled out from IPL.
Among the most egregious of the players in the pack comprising of the likes of Sehwag, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Zaheer would undoubtedly be Sachin Tendulkar and his 200* innings surrounding
The Saint like halation in a country where sports is a religion. It is perhaps of note that the man who is currently in the form of his life - Abdur Razzak- with his recent hat-trick being on the cusp of achieving highest number of wickets in a bilateral series is the same person who suckered the almighty Tendulkar to floor on an unlucky 7 facing 26 balls with an arm ball in 2007. Abdur Razzak would be an automatic inclusion.
Raging bull marauder Tamim, who cuts, swings, and jabs anything that comes to him, has progressed into a much mature fighter from the haymaker that he used to be as evident from the exhibits of his sparkling Lord century, 151 against India in Test, 154 versus Zimbabwe being nominated Wisden Magazine's Cricketer of the Year after pouring in relentless hours in the nets with coach Salahuddin and Siddons.
Cricket has evolved to be a lot more dynamic since the Caribbean calypso and along with the territory came many ungentlemanly behavior in the form of trash talks where players like Sehwag would take below-the-belt shot labeling the Bangladeshi as ordinary in the last encounter while Ishant Sharma had to be reminded who Shakib-al-Hasan really is. And he was for the man left footnotes not only in the category of the number 1 ODI batsman, but also in one of the top ten ODI bowlers, as well as marshalling in a troop over the same Caribean soil for their first ever test victory and of course single handedly bringing down the house versus the Kiwis. The man has an average of 35 in ODI and 31 in Test and lives by the mantra that when he steps in the ring there is no second best and became the first ever Bangladeshi to get a County contract with Worcestershire.
Imrul Kayes possibly remains as
the subdued choice as in most cases he seems to be overshadowed by Tamim's aura. But, this left handed opener can go the distance once he gets a solid start as witnessed by some of his memorable innings including a salient century in Christchurch versus New Zealand. His glorious textbook coverdrives may be in stark contrast to his shaky hooks and pulls; however, he has been a consistent performer with an ODI average of 30.
Raqibul and Mushfiqur would take the corresponding spots. After his withdrawal, Raqibul returned solidly in domestic circuit, banked a solid 65 in a recent match, and has proven himself not only as an anchor but someone who can rev at higher gears too. Another consistent performer has been the keeper, though concerns are raised about his keeping ability. Moved up the order Rahim would function at his optimum level building the foundation for power hitting.
Mohammad Ashraful has lately gone down the queer street as a journeyman. He may not be dazzling in their last encounter scoring only 8 runs but he
was the chief architect in one of the subsequent World Cup match against South Africa. He has been kissing the canvas ever since but unlike the way he did so in Cardiff. However, cognizant of all the above mentioned worries, the temptation to
not to use Ashraful - keeping knuckles crossed for an Eid innings- is just too great. He gets the cut if anything just for the intimidation factor and he comes down the order during Power Play overs.
It must however be noted that while Mahmudullah Riyad has lately been out of touch, his record shows a bell-curved peak of performance given his
test scores rising from 69 and an undefeated 96 against this very Indian opponent, quickly followed by his patient 115 against New Zealand and a couple of 50s against England -all, mind you, in a very short frame of 2 months. Despite the fact his score tapered off since he reached his peak earlier as well as failing to make any impression with his bat in ODI as he vouches about his focus on power hitting in the nets lately, remains a strong contender among the wildcards.
To clinch the first win against a team full of heavyweights where hitting big matters, Naeem Islam, in my book would get the nod ahead of Suhrawadi Shuvo, mainly because of his all round abilities despite the dwindling batting performances since his 73 against Zimbabwe.
Bowlers are expected to flight the ball like a butterfly with enough venom to sting like a bee. Mashrafe Mortaza, the real star from the last tussle with 4 wickets, is struggling to get back in shape and form recovering from his glass wrist. Player like Syed Rasel now have new rising stars to compete with a heavily built speed freak Rubel Hossain and a lanky Shafiul Islam, both who have been crucial during the New Zealand whitewash. However, to continue with a 2-3 combination and sheer pace, Rubel and Mashrafe would be the one to open the new ball.
Thus my final eleven would be Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hassan, Shakib-al-Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mohammad Ashraful, Mohammad Mahmuddlah, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza (vc), Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain.
Odds however may it be in favor of the Indians, Bangladeshis are not expected to throw in the towels that easily. As much as Indians squad seems to be full of players having rockstar like status, over the past four years, Bangladeshis can bank on the players who have refined their games since their last faceoff. Whereas in the past the team would rely on only one or two key performancer, now it has gelled into a much cohesive unit to deliver punches. What the players lack the charisma and personality of the number 1 team India's firepower, lower rung Bangladeshi players make up with sheer deterimation and hard labor. Last blow dealt was severe, but the forthcoming one will be deadly. It's not curtain call yet, crowds rather chant.... Encore!