After their 79-run loss in the first ODI, Team India admitted that they were outplayed by Bangladesh in every department. MS Dhoni put it down to the discipline and tactic of Bangladesh’s bowlers and the lack of it by India’s batsmen. Rohit Sharma, who top-scored for the visitors with 60 runs, echoed the captain’s thoughts ahead of the second match.
“Tactically what we would like to do differently is take wickets upfront,” Rohit said. “If you take early wickets it always builds pressure on the opposition. We didn’t do it in the last game and they got momentum early on. From there they played fearless cricket and kept going after our bowlers. In the next game we need to pick early wickets irrespective of whether we bowl first or second. We need to get that momentum our way and we have guys who can do it. We have quality pacers and spinners and tomorrow will be their chance to do it.
“We have to mix and match. We can’t keep bowling the same length all the time. We have to be aggressive. And by aggressive, I mean we should not hesitate to bowl bouncers at them when required. We need to understand their batsmen’s weaknesses. We have played quite a bit against them and the bowlers have good understanding of that. We just need to exploit that,” Rohit said.
For the batsmen, Rohit said it will be crucial to strike the perfect balance between batting long enough to build partnerships and being aggressive at the same time.
“As a batting unit we know it’s our responsibility to bat as long as we can. But the way cricket is played today, we have to be aggressive and try to take the game away from the opposition,” he said. “And in doing so, we might get out. Cricket has gone to the next level. Having said that, it is very important to build partnerships, and it starts from the top order. Bangladesh did it well in the last game; they got a good opening partnership as well as in the middle order. That is the key.”
Bangladesh received a shot in the arm in form of their debutant left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the first ODI. He varied his pace perfectly and ended up with five wickets. Rohit said the Indian batsmen will have to have a stronger strategy against him in the middle overs when the ball gets a bit older.
“As the ball gets older and the wicket gets slower, it gets harder to bat. And Mustafizur made the best out of it. He wasn’t getting that grip with the new ball that he did after the 20th over. We need to look on what shots we need to play once the wicket gets slower. And we need to be aggressive at the same time.”
The Indian opener said the team was not surprised by Bangladesh’s strategy to field four fast bowlers. “We were not taken by surprise with their four seamers strategy. They played with three pacers in the World Cup and just added one more in the last game. The bottom line is that we didn’t bat well. We need to be more aware of the situation and the conditions. We have enough experience in our dressing room to understand that and hopefully tomorrow we can change things around.”
Rohit also said that at no point did India take Bangladesh lightly ahead of the tour. “You have to treat every opponent similarly. You do not get victory just by showing up, you need to earn it. You have to be at your best against every team. Bangladesh is no different. We have spoken about how aggressive we want to be against them. There is no question about taking them lightly. We are here to win the series. Unfortunately the first game didn’t go our way but we have two more games and hopefully we will change things around. With their current form, we have to be at our best to beat them.
“Bangladesh like to play their cricket aggressively. They have got nothing to lose but we have everything to lose. We need to be extra careful. We knew they will play that way in their territory. But that is no excuse for the defeat. As a professional unit we need to be up to it. We have learned our lessons and we will be better prepared tomorrow,” he said.
By: BCCI
