Rubel goes from the dark alley to fast track
The big improvement in Bangladesh during this World Cup has been their desire to challenge themselves in an attempt to be more competitive against the stronger sides.
They’ve achieved that, which is admirable but they shouldn’t provide any undue concerns for an in-form and confident Indian side.
The first place to look when weighing up the merits of two teams in a knockout match is the statistics. They won’t tell you everything but when viewed in conjunction with watching the play, they’ll give you a clue as to the likely outcome.
The hint in this World Cup stats is the difference in bowling. The Indian attack has been the backbone of the team, taking wickets regularly, while the batsmen have performed well enough to complete the task. In Bangladesh’s case, the economy and strike rates in general are inflated, while their batting returns are only moderate and that’s despite avoiding a tussle with the strong Australian attack.
BATTING DEEP
Despite just doing enough to win the Indian batting is deep. This is a crucial attribute during the knockout stages as it means the team isn’t relying on the same players all the time and there’s always the chance of a recovery after a hesitant start. Against a moderate attack like Bangladesh the Indian top five should be untroubled to either post a challenging target or chase one down.
And backing up the top five is the best finisher in the game, skipper M S Dhoni. Dhoni has been instrumental in India’s resurgence and he has the ideal temperament to ensure