Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

India set to field unchanged XI against Bangladesh

- Agence FrancePres­se IANS sportsdesk@hindustant­imes.com

and eventually saw New Zealand eliminated.

Bangladesh’s place in the last four was confirmed when England beat Australia at Edgbaston.

India have won 26 of their 32 ODIs against Bangladesh, suffering five defeats with one no result.

But Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza believes wins such as the one over New Zealand will bolster the side’s already growing self-belief.

“In the last three years we keep improving a lot,” he said.

On the eve of the Champions Trophy semifinal against Bangladesh at Edgbaston here on Thursday, India skipper Virat Kohli hinted at retaining the same XI which trounced South Africa in their final Group B game at The Oval on Sunday.

In the run-up to the Champions Trophy, India thrashed Bangladesh by 240 runs in a warm-up match, thanks to threewicke­t hauls from the pace duo of Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwa­r Kumar but Kohli on Wednesday backed off-spinner R Ashwin’s inclusion in the playing XI.

“We gave a lot of people chances in the practice games and everyone bowled well in that game but that does not mean that you will necessaril­y play against that particular opposition. Ashwin was brilliant in the last game, I don’t see any good reason to change that,” Kohli told reporters here.

“The team played really well, it was a complete performanc­e and I certainly don’t feel that there is any need to change.”

Asked whether past results will boost the morale of the menin-blue in the high pressure game, Kohli quickly pointed out that the team’s mindset does not change from game to game.

“We are not going to go with what past results have done going into a big game like this. We are going to treat it like how we treated the last game and our mindset does not differ,” he said.

“We have been in these kinds of games quite a few times before but there are no guarantees in this sport. We have seen during the league stages itself that a lot of teams have surprised the opposition.”

“We are not, certainly not, taking anything for granted. We will use whatever momentum we have gained in the tournament to execute in the match,” he added.

Terming Bangladesh a “very dangerous” side, the 28-year-old Kohli credited the opposition with rising to the challenge in big matches.

Bangladesh outplayed New Zealand in their final Group A tie to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy, their first appearance in the last-four stage of any major ICC tournament.

“It’s no surprise that they are doing really well and have improved their cricket. Credit to their set-up and the kind of players who are taking more responsibi­lity.”

“They are a very dangerous side on their day. No one can take their opposition for granted and Bangladesh have taken huge strides,” Kohli said.

Asked whether the lack of exposure to the lower order batting will affect the side in case of a crisis situation, Kohli said: “No, that’s not a concern, obviously as a batsman you want to finish off games. Everyone has batted well in practice games and Kedar (Jadhav) and Hardik (Pandya) are playing well.”

“So we are not bothered at all. Rather they are looking for an opportunit­y, if the team is in a sort of trouble, I am sure the two guys are going to step up with Jadeja and Ashwin.”

The team played really well, it was a complete performanc­e and I certainly don’t feel that there is any need to change

We have been in these kinds of games quite a few times before but there are no guarantees in this sport...We are not taking anything for granted.

 ?? AFP REUTERS ?? India players take part in a training session ahead of their Champions Trophy semifinal against Bangladesh in Birmingham on Thursday. Virat Kohli
AFP REUTERS India players take part in a training session ahead of their Champions Trophy semifinal against Bangladesh in Birmingham on Thursday. Virat Kohli

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