ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 40: BAN vs IND – Bangladesh Predicted Playing XI

It seems as it if has been ages since Bangladesh took the field. The team hasn’t had any action in the last week after their massive 62-run win against Afghanistan. They have had a decent amount of time to analyse where they stand and sketch their plans for the last two games in the tournament. At this stage, it seems quite simple as they have got to win the rest of their matches.

However, Bangladesh will face juggernauts India in the upcoming encounter. The Men in Blue suffered their first defeat against England and will try hard to bounce back and seal the semi-final spot. Bangladesh suffered a huge loss against the same opposition in the warm-up fixture. Thus, there is a lot of catching up to do and they can’t afford to give anything less than their 100 per cent.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Bangladesh

Openers (Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal)

The experimentation is done and you could expect Soumya Sarkar to be back opening the innings. He played at N0 5 against Afghanistan and seemed to have troubles going after spin straightaway. While he hasn’t looked to be at his best in the tournament, it is the right time for him to step up for his team and bring out a match-winning knock against a strong team.

Soumya will have Tamim Iqbal at the other end. The left-hander has done well in the last three matches and even got past the 50-run mark once. But, being the senior player in the team, a lot more is expected of him. Tamim must make the most of his starts and dig deep in as he is as is a good player of spin bowling.

Middle Order (Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Liton Das)

Shakib Al Hasan is, undoubtedly, the best performer for the Bangladesh team in this tournament. He is right up there along with some top performers in both the batting and bowling charts. The all-rounder was fabulous in the previous match where he scored a fifty and even picked up a five-wicket haul. He will, yet again, be the key to Bangladesh’s chances against India.

Mushfiqur Rahim is equally important with the bat in the middle order. He can score big and at a good pace as well. He played a great knock against Afghanistan and will look to follow it up with another. Liton Das will be back at No 5 and will have to repeat the same kind of exploits as he did against the Windies.

All Rounders (Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan)

The Bangladesh team will rely upon Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain to finish the innings off well for them. While it won’t be easy against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, these two have got to put their foot forward as their team cannot afford another loss. Mosaddek is doing a fair job with the ball and Mahmudullah can chip in if required.

Mohammad Saifuddin could be expensive but he picks up some important wickets for his team. Bangladesh will continue to back him and he adds a bit of depth to the batting as well. Mehidy Hasan’s role will be to hold one end up tight and built the pressure on the Indian batsmen. If he could pick a wicket or two, that’d be a huge bonus.

Bowlers (Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman)

The fans would hope that Mashrafe Mortaza comes back strong in the next match. He’s had a week off now and he should come back fresh and rejuvenated. Bangladesh will persist with Mustafizur Rahman, for, he’s been one of their best performers with the ball. Some of the Indian batsmen are slightly vulnerable against left-arm pace and Fizz should look to make the most out of it. He is good at death as well and will hope that he can pick some crucial wickets.