DHAKA: Recently, Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim expressed irritation at the quality of the Indian squad being sent to his team in a three-match ODI series, saying he hadn't thought the visitors would take the series so lightly.
"We have defeated their best team in the past. They have a young team, and despite the standard of the IPL, international cricket is a more difficult stage. And one should not forget that if they lose, India will lose, not India A. The pressure will be on them," said Mushfiqur a day after the Indian team was named, one missing eight first-choice players and led by the recalled Suresh Raina, reports the gocricket.com on Monday.
It said that the Bangladesh captain's frustration appears to stem more from the state of their cricket and the lack of opportunity to play more Test-playing sides. In 2014, Bangladesh won just two of 18 international fixtures; they were beaten by Sri Lanka in a full tour (two Tests, three ODIs and two T20s), failed to win a single match during the Asia Cup (they lost to Afghanistan) and then in the ICC World Twenty20 they won two of seven matches, which included a shock loss to minnows Hong Kong.
After Bangladesh were eliminated in the group stage, an agitated Shakib Al Hasan had been moved to comment that in order to improve, the team should not play at home for two years. Strong words indeed, and ones that came against the backdrop of an earlier statement from Shakib before the ICC World Twenty20 in which he urged passionate fans to curb their expectations.
But was Mushfiqur correct in his assessment that India have erred in sending a second-string side to Bangladesh?
Ostensibly, this team has been named so that the usual players can prepare for the big tour of England that starts in late June and spans five Tests, five ODIs and a one-off Twenty20 international, as well as three practice matches. That aside, few should be surprised that the BCCI selectors named a second-string side for this short tour. It has become common in the past five or six years for the selectors to pick weakened teams for low-profile ODI commitments in the midst of busy international and IPL seasons. This allows the big names time to rest and allows the selectors to test out the second tier of players. It's another matter that they have rarely given those players further chances of playing for India, despite achieving success or not.
In mid-2010, the likes of MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra were rested for a low-profiles tour of Zimbabwe. Raina was chosen to lead and Virat Kohli named his deputy, and that 15-man squad comprised plenty of new faces. In 2011, following the successful World Cup and IPL, Raina led the ODI team in the West Indies with Dhoni rested and Tendulkar having opted out. In 2013, following victories in the ICC Champions Trophy and a tri-series in the West Indies, the selectors picked a depleted team for five ODIs in Zimbabwe.
There is, lastly, the weight attached to this series because of the opposition. A cursory glance at the numbers reveals the lopsidedness of the contest. India's head-to-head record against Bangladesh stands at 22 wins from 25 ODIs; on Bangladesh soil, they have won 14 of 16 matches. Of course, numbers do not show how close some of those matches have been, but it must be accepted that India v Bangladesh is not a marquee series.
This short series presents Bangladesh with a chance to improve their record against India in ODIs, and Mushfiqur must now back his claims that his team has been fuelled with extra motivation to beat India now that they've chosen, in his view, to downgrade the significance of the tour. Should the team, and captain, walk the talk and hold Raina's side to a series defeat then the effect will be far stronger than criticism of the nature of the opposition.
BDST: 1656 HRS, JUNE 16, 2014
