Bangladesh has nothing to lose against India in their Champions Trophy opener
With the opening game of the Champions Trophy done and dusted, the other teams in Pool A face up to each other on Thursday with India and Bangladesh clashing at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has played host to 58 ODIs since 2009. Expect the pitch to offer some early assistance for the quicks, with some seam movement when the ball is new. Traditionally the track becomes more batsman friendly as the innings progresses.
Dew can be a factor in the evening which often compels the captain who wins the toss to bat second so as to avoid the perils of bowling with a wet ball at night. The chasing team has won 34 times at the venue with the side batting first winning 22.
Bangladesh v India | ICC Champions Trophy Game 2 | Thursday 20 February 2025 | International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 11:00am
Bangladesh
History is very much against Bangladesh in this one. The two sides have faced each other on 41 occasions with Bangladesh winning just eight of those. That said, they are a team on the rise, and they certainly aren’t the pushovers they once were. Remember, the Champions Trophy features just the top eight sides in the world and Bangladesh are there – Sri Lanka, Ireland and the West Indies are not.
The ICC ODI bowling rankings highlight just how lightweight Bangladesh are – their highest ranked player is Mehidy Hasan Miraz who is ranked 27th while Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are joint 35th. It is not overly promising, especially considering the quality of the Indian batting lineup.
Perhaps the biggest bonus for Bangladesh is that they have been drawn in the tougher of the tournament’s two groups. Up against India, New Zealand and Pakistan, Bangladesh are rank outsiders in the group with nobody expecting them to advance to the semi-finals. That could be something that works in their favour as they have nothing to lose and can therefore take some gambles and push the boundaries a little. They can put all the pressure onto India and see how they respond.
Opening batsman Soumya Sarkar is a player in form and one to look out for. He has scored some decent runs in recent outings – including a quick 35 from 38 balls in a warm-up game against the Shaheens on Monday.
India
India come into the Champions Trophy on the back of a 3-0 ODI series win over England.
A quick look at the latest ICC ODI player rankings will tell you why India are the favourites to win this tournament. They have no fewer than four batsmen in the top ten – Shubman Gill (1st), Rohit Sharma (3rd), Virat Kohli (6th) and Shreyas Iyer (9th). Gill is in excellent form and is a good bet to be the top run scorer in Thursday’s game, but also in the whole tournament. he comes into the competition on the back of hitting two fifties and a hundred in three ODIs against England.
Aside from their arsenal of top ranked batters there are plenty of other imposing options available as well. Wicketkeepers KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are both excellent with the bat in hand. Rahul was
the man on glove-duty against England, but he struggled for runs and Pant could get the nod ahead of him.
While Sharma bounced back to form against England with a powerful century, there may be some concern around the form of former skipper Kohli. He has not been in the best touch in recent times with his previous air of invincibility seemingly having burst.
India will be without Jasprit Bumrah, the man widely regarded as the best all-format player in the world, as he recovers from injury. But in Kuldeep Yadav they have a top ten bowler in their attack, which is also packed with handy spinning options.
In terms of the spinning options there is veteran Ravindra Jadeja, who has previously ended the Champions Trophy as leading wicket taker. He was in excellent form in the ODI series against England who struggled massively with his accuracy and variations. There is also the prospect of an outing for Varun Chakaravarthy who has limited ODI experience but who bowled superbly in the T20 series against England.
Look out for Harshit Rana – no lesser expert than former India opener Shikhar Dhawan (who was the top run scorer in each of the last two editions of the Champions Trophy) singled him out as a key player to watch when he said: “Harshit Rana has come into the side and I think that is really exciting – keep an eye on him, I think he could have a breakout tournament. I like his attitude; he is a go-getter, and he is not afraid of anything. He accepts challenges and we have seen in the England series that he is in form. I am sure he will look to seize this opportunity and, if he does, he could provide a real x-factor for India.”
Verdict:
It is hard to look past India. They have depth in every position, and they are a side full of confidence at the moment. Bangladesh is a vastly improved side, but India should have too much quality in this one.
