Nidahas Trophy 2018: Mahmudullah wary of India’s IPL experience

The Nidahas Trophy for the T20 triangular series is already underway at the R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. India and Sri Lanka locked horns in the opening game at the iconic venue. However, the hosts brushed aside the Men in Blue by five wickets in a one-sided affair. Shikhar Dhawan’s blistering knock helped India post a competitive total on the board.

Nevertheless, Kusal Perera took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners and made a mockery of the target set by India. Rohit Sharma’s men will now be pitted against Bangladesh in the upcoming game in Colombo. Nonetheless, despite India’s loss in the first match, Mahmudullah, the Bangladesh skipper believes that experience in the Indian Premier League makes them a strong proposition in the tournament.

IPL experience a key for India

“India is still a strong side, even though some their experienced players aren’t around on this tour. Their current squad has a lot of players who have the experience of playing in the IPL. If we can play good cricket, we will do well,” Mahmudullah was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times in a recent interaction with the media.

Bangladesh lost a cliffhanger at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium against India in the 2016 World T20. Hardik Pandya bowled the final over of the game where Bangladesh lost wickets in heaps, which dashed their hopes of a victory. The Bangladesh skipper also mentioned about shedding the disappointment from the game and start the game on a fresh note.

“What happened in Bangalore ended in Bangalore. We can’t step onto the field with an inch of a doubt. Especially, when the team is not going through a good spell, such doubts creep in but I have urged my teammates to keep those doubts away and step out.” he added. Bangladesh has won one of their last ten T20 Internationals and will also be looking to turn their fortunes around in the shortest format.