Tri-Series: Bangaldesh vs India Preview

We preview the Tri-Series encounter between Bangladesh and India set to get underway on Wednesday 14 March at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. 

Defeat for Bangladesh will leave them with a must-win match against Sri Lanka on Friday, while victory for India will seal a berth in Sunday's final.

The Tigers are brimming with confidence after an historic win over the Sri Lankans last week, while the Indians were hardly tested against the islanders earlier this week.

Bangladesh v India | Wednesday, 14 March | R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | 15:30

To Win Match (Forecast Odds)

Bangladesh 21/10

Tie 35/1

India 4/11

Bangladesh

Bangladesh won't necessarily want to change a winning formula, but might well consider taking example from India and Sri Lanka by opening the bowling with a spinner on Wednesday. Washington Sundar and Akila Dananjaya have performed the role to great effect recently - and Nazmul Islam could do the same for the Tigers.

They're coping well enough without Shakib Al Hasan, who remains sidelined by injury, but will really miss his experience as the tournament nears its business end. Other veterans like Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim, then, really need to step up alongside the inexperienced players and demand results.

The batsmen are going to need to find a way to get on top of India's new-look pace attack, as Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat gain momentum. The duo have been solid enough in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The future of the country's T20I seam bowling seems in good hands, but a couple of shoddy showings in a crunch clash could bring that into question.

Yet again, the toss will be vital. All four matches in the series so far have been won by the captain who opted to bat second. The R Premadasa Stadium is renowned for accommodating successful chases - and Wednesday will be no different. One man has to get in and bat deep, though, with high expectations on Tamim Iqbal.

India

India haven't had to chase more than 153 this month yet - and their batsmen will be the first to admit a serious challenge has yet to come their way. The decision to rest Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni could have backfired, but it hasn't - and the new crew are performing admirably while the stalwarts take a break.

Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey, in particular, showed plenty of patience and skill in India's previous fixture, when they avenged defeat to Sri Lanka in the series opener. It's this kind of collective steel that will be required to ensure the favourites don't cop an upset at the hands of the inspired underdogs.

India will already be thinking about the final - and the exact XI they'll require for it. They've swapped different personnel for a while now, experimenting with various combinations throughout. By the end of Wednesday's showdown, they'll want to have settled selection in mind, given conditions are not going to change much, if at all.

The rain that hampered Monday's fixture is bound to interfere again. Truncated innings would probably offer Bangladesh more of a chance, as they won't have to maintain stamina for as long while batting and could feel less pressure with the ball. That, naturally, depends on whether they bat or bowl first.

Verdict: India 4/11 (Forecast Odds)

Bangaldesh largely don't have it in them to orchestrate a second consecutive upset, leaving India firm favourites to book a berth in Sunday's final and await their opposition.

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