Rohit set to return as opener against Bangladesh
After a convincing 45-run victory against New Zealand in a rain-curtailed warm-up match, Virat Kohli will pray that his batsmen get some more time against Bangladesh ahead of the tournament.
Published : May 29, 2017 20:18 IST
Rohit Sharma will be back as opener in India's final Champions Trophy warm-up fixture before its first game against Pakistan.
After a convincing 45-run victory against New Zealand in a rain-curtailed warm-up match, Virat Kohli will pray that his batsmen get some more time in the middle than the 26 overs they got in the game.
Rohit will open again after having batted down the order for most of the Indian Premier League. He missed out on the first game due to personal commitments and joined the squad on Saturday evening.
One of the biggest reasons for India's success in the Champions Trophy 2013 was the Rohit-Shikhar Dhawan duo. They will be back together to face the new ball in conditions not very different from the ones they encountered four years back.
With Ajinkya Rahane failing as an opener in the first warm-up game, even the remotest thoughts of a change at the top, if there was one at all, will not be entertained by the team management.
Kohli, after a well-compiled half-century in the first game, would prefer to bat more, along with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who looked impressive during his brief stint.
It is still not clear if Yuvraj Singh, recovering from a bout of viral fever, will be available tomorrow. The veteran also needs some batting practice ahead of the Pakistan game.
The skipper would also like to give Kedar Jadhav some time in the middle.
Bangladesh has been a very decent side in 50-overs cricket. A testimony to that was its quarterfinal finish during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The pace quartet of Mustafizur Rahaman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and skipper Mashrafe Mortaza can prove to be more than a handful for any opposition on a given day.
India lost an away ODI series against Bangladesh back in 2015 when Mustafizur was relatively new to international cricket.
India's bowling attack that bowled the Kiwis out for 189 looked good. Kohli has three potent new ball options in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami. The bulk of the death overs will be taken care by yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah.
The other issue that Kohli needs to address is his lead spinner in the attack.
Ravindra Jadeja's all-round abilities in the shorter format are more recognised than Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been a powerhouse performer for India in Test cricket.