India limited-overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not be taking Bangladesh lightly in their three-match one-day international series, especially after admitting concerns over his side’s middle-order.
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The teams will meet at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on June 18, 21 and 24 as the tourists look to once more assert their authority over a Bangladesh side who have yet to beat India in an ODI series.
Last year’s contest at Dhaka resulted in a 2-0 win for the Indians, who also got the better of Bangladesh in the quarter-finals of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Yet Dhoni is in no doubt they are a side on the rise and, as a result, India will not hesitate in fielding their strongest line-up.
He said: “We will feature the best XI. Bangladesh are a very good ODI team; they have been playing ODI cricket for a long time now.”
The captain also sees a weakness in his team’s batting order, saying: “The top four-five batsmen in our current line-up, if they are fit and in decent form over the years, they might go into the next World Cup and the Champions Trophy.
“Where we need to improve is with our lower middle-order, particularly number six and seven.
#TeamIndia ODI skipper MS Dhoni and Team Director Ravi Shastri during the net session #BANvsIND pic.twitter.com/X31jM5fzFw
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 17, 2015
“In the last year and a half our bottom order hasn’t had too many opportunities to bat especially in the subcontinent, where our top-order has done a remarkable job. It gets difficult for these guys to be more consistent with the bat because an opportunity where they have to score 50-60 runs comes once in 15-20 games.”
The one-day series will bring back happy memories for Bangladesh paceman Taskin Ahmed, who claimed five wickets on his debut against India exactly a year ago at the same ground.
The 20-year-old totals 19 wickets in 12 ODIs and hopes to increase that tally over the coming week.
Taskin told Bangladesh newspaper the Daily Star : “What happened one year ago is now in the past. But that good memory will definitely inspire me and give me confidence, but the reality is that I have to make a fresh start against a full-strength India side. “
India are one of the best teams, especially their batting is fabulous in the subcontinent. So we need to bowl in the right areas against them and give our best to get a result..”
Monsoon rains could yet play a part in deciding the series although reserve days have been set aside if the weather fails to hold, as it did in last week’s one-off Test between the teams. ends
