After a five-day break, the Tigers are back to practice to prepare for the crucial match against India on Tuesday. To win the match is very important for Bangladesh to keep their World Cup semifinal hope alive. However, apart from the context of the World Cup, the match is going to be significant in many other considerations. In recent times, subcontinent’s biggest cricketing clash between two archrivals India and Pakistan does not happen like it used to be. It also lost that competitive edge and has become one-sided as India now dominate over Pakistan.
It also cannot meet the needs of the cricket fans. Now according to many, the Bangladesh-India match has met that gap. The last three ODIs between the two have been intense and competitive. Supporters of both the sides also come at the center stage of this match. If we take the context of this World Cup, then it is a very pivotal match for Bangladesh. When both sides meet on Tuesday in Birmingham, beating India is a necessity, if Tigers want to keep their semifinal hope alive.
Besides, the biggest cricket market outside of India is now growing in Bangladesh. Therefore, this match is also significant if we see the commercial side of it. So in both counts, it’s going to be a high voltage match. Since their last match against Afghanistan on June 24, team Bangladesh have used a long break of seven days in different ways. Everyone were given five days leave. There were no alternate training sessions during this time. Many players have traveled around England with their families.
Meanwhile, India have reached Hyatt Regency Hotel in Birmingham on Friday, where Bangladesh have reached before. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza met with Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the hotel, two iconic players for their respective countries, playing their last World Cup had a chat for a while. Before the Bangladesh match, India’s fight is with England today. Bangladesh will want to see a victory for Virat Kohli’s men as Tigers’ semis hope hinges on England losing as well.
Cricketers and support staffs, who are outside Birmingham, joined with the team on Saturday. Tigers are scheduled to have their first training session from today. The problem is Bangladesh will not get the main venue, Edgbaston stadium, to carry out their training session due to India-England match. Hence, light practice session will take place in different practice arena. That means, Bangladesh will get only one day to practice in the main venue.
So, is this preparation enough before a cliffhanger? According to Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe, less time for practice sessions is nothing to be worried about as the team is playing matches consistently in the World Cup. Rather he is seeing this long break as a chance for the players to be refreshed and fully charged for the India match. However, there is no time for any more relaxation before the crunch game.
Match against India means a heated situation, also mean more effort and focus in practice. Bangladesh wanted to tackle this scenario by remaining focused and chilled mentally rather than to practice hard in the nets. The board has met that demand, and now it is time for the cricketers to meet the demand of the nation.