India aim to seal semi-final berth against desperate Bangladesh

The two-time champions India suffered first hiccup in their 2019 World Cup journey when the host-England thrashed them by 31 runs at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Standing on the steep side of the road, India needs to push themselves to get back on track as they play against pumped Bangladesh on July 2. The result of the last encounter will have huge implications on the race for the top four as Bangladesh, too desperately eyes for crucial two points to keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockouts alive.

For India, the scenario seems to be quite simple. As of now, the team is comfortably sitting at the second spot and a win against the Bangla Tigers will help men-in-blue to seal the semi-final spot in 2019 World Cup. However, with team playing two game in space of three days, the mental fatigue cannot be underestimated which may add feather in Bangladesh’s preparations.

The men-in-green, on the other hand, are coming after a break of seven days as they last played against Afghanistan where they were able to put up a comprehensive performance.

Team Combination

India

It is highly unlikely that the Indian team will tinker with their opening combination. KL Rahul has looked good at the top, even when he failed to get going against England. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, has been India's most successful batsman in this World Cup and has already smashed three World Cup centuries. Virat Kohli will bat at number three and will certainly be followed by Rishabh Pant, who replaced Vijay Shankar in the last game.

MS Dhoni, scoring at a good strike-rate is also a positive sign for India. However, the only change India can make in the batting order is to bring Dinesh Karthik in place of Kedar Jadhav, who hasn’t looked good in the tournament thus far. The bowling has also come good for the team with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami being able to pick wickets at the start. India's wrist spinners 'Kul-Cha' Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been more than just effective in the middle overs.

Probable XI: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chachal, Jasprit Bumrah. 

Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal got a couple of decent knocks under his belt and that should keep him in good stead. Soumya Sarkar needs to be a bit more consistent. All of Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim are averaging above 50 with the bat and they’ll need to be on top of their game. Mashrafe’s form with the ball may not be that great, but he still remains an inspirational figure.

Mahmudullah has shown the damage he can inflict, keeping a calm head. Mosaddek Hossain looked good in the last game against Afghanistanand has also put forth his prowess lower down the order. Rubel Hossain will share the bowling department along with Mashrafe Rortaza and Mustafizur Rahman.

Probable XI: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mashrafe Mortaza (C), Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman.

Who will win? 

Bangladesh has impressed everyone with their spirited performances throughout the World Cup. But the Indian team appears to be too strong, so they are the favourites going into this match.

Weather and Pitch

The forecast at Edgbaston in Birmingham is clear and the temperature is likely to touch 23-degree Celsius. The pitch is expected to be batting friendly; however, the batsmen can experience some lateral movement of the wicket at the start of their innings.

Stadium and Timings

The encounter will take place at Edgbaston in Birmingham at 15:00 pm IST local.