Image Source- AP
India has already secured a spot in the 2023 Asia Cup
championship game. Bangladesh is no longer eligible. And as a result, Friday’s
game between these two teams is a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, with the
ODI World Cup less than a month away, both countries have the opportunity to
test their bench strength and try out whatever fresh combinations they like.
India has already checked off most of the boxes. The
top runs have included Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma. The
administration of the squad is glad to have a headache thanks to Ishan Kishan’s
hard knocks in the middle. Both KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah have demonstrated
good form in addition to being physically fit.
For Bangladesh, things could not have taken a more
opposite turn. In addition to only having one victory in the competition thus
far, they have also had bad luck with injuries.
Before the competition had began, Tamim Iqbal and
Ebadot Hossain were disqualified. The first round was missed by Litton Das due
to illness. Najmul Hossain Shanto returned home with a hamstring strain after
scoring 89 and 104 in back-to-back games. Even Mushfiqur Rahim is currently not
working because he was given an extension of leave to be with his wife as she
recovers from giving birth to their second kid.
With so many first-choice players unavailable,
Bangladesh may look to try out a new combination. At the same time, they would
like to finish on a positive note as well.
Axar Patel failed to get a wicket in his five overs
despite giving up 29 runs on a shifting surface in Colombo, where India lost
all ten of its wickets to spin as Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja both took
six. Anil Kumble stated before the game that he would have thought about using
R Ashwin or Washington Sundar in place of Axar if Jadeja, a left-arm spin
bowling all-rounder, had already been named to the World Cup roster. Can Axar
repay the trust of the selectors?