Ahead of the important T20 World Cup clashes against the South Asian giants India and Pakistan, Bangladesh Captain Shakib Al Hasan said it would be “an upset” if they beat any of these two teams in their last two matches in the Super 12 phase.
Bangladesh won two of their first three matches so far while India also recorded two wins. But riding on a better run rate, India are at number two on the points table right after South Africa who have secured five points. Now a win in Wednesday’s match can help the winners to get one step closer to the semifinals.
In 2018, Bangladesh played two finals — Asia Cup and Nidahas Trophy — against India and lost both of them. On both occasions, Bangladesh got close but failed to finish the match.
But ahead of another clash against the neighboring country, Bangladesh captain seemed to not be bothered about the past.
“We just want to play good cricket — no matter who the opponents are,” Shakib said. “In the last match, we played very good cricket. The spectators were happy. We hope we can play another match like that against India.”
If Bangladesh can beat India, they will have a great chance to qualify for the semifinals. If Bangladesh suffer a defeat, they will still have a good chance if they can beat Pakistan in the last match.
“Both the teams are better than us. They have been playing good cricket for years,” Shakib said. “If we can beat them, it will be counted as an upset and we are really eager to do that.”
India have always been a tough opponent for Bangladesh. To date, Bangladesh took on India in 11 matches and won only one. This stat is enough to prove the difference between these two teams. Still, when Bangladesh take on India, the expectation from Bangladesh climbs. To the fans, a win against India gets a massive celebration in Bangladesh. So does the team feel the same way? Shakib says no!
“As I’ve said before the beginning of the T20 World Cup, we take every team in the same manner,” Shakib said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday in Adelaide. “We will take on every team with the same approach. We don’t want to ponder much about who the opponents are.”
Along with India, the weather also became an opponent in Adelaide. The Tigers had to cancel their practice session on Tuesday due to bad weather which can disrupt the match as well. And at the same time, the cold weather in Adelaide can also daunt the Tigers. But Shakib said this is not something they should be bothered by.
“We have to adjust to the condition, and I think this is the best and only way,” he added.
The match will begin at 2 pm (Bangladesh time) on Wednesday, and this is the first day-night match for Bangladesh in this World Cup.
Source: United News of Bangladesh