ICC WT20 : India vs Bangladesh T20 World Cup

India vs Bangladesh T20 World Cup: In Must-Win Game, Dhawan, Rohit Need to Fire, Says Sangakkara

Shikhar Dhawan has been woefully out form. He has managed to score 1 and 6 against New Zealand and Pakistan, respectively, in two World T20 matches.

Kumar Sangakkara wants Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma to "step up" as India face must-win games against Bangladesh and Australia in T20 World Cup. India play Bangladesh in Bengaluru on Wednesday. (

Why Pakistan Can Never Beat India in World Cups - Sangakkara, Gavaskar Explain

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Speaking to NDTV on Tuesday, Sangakkara said it was important for Dhawan and Sharma to give India a good start and take the load off Virat Kohli. (Dhawan Gets Bouncer Drills Ahead of Tie Against Bangladesh)

"Rohit and Shikhar have not fired but then that's also a warning to sides because batsmen of their quality will fire sooner than later and this is the ideal time for them to step up and take the burden off Virat Kohli's shoulder," Sangakkara said.

India must beat Bangladesh on Wednesday and Australia on Sunday to grab the second semi-final spot from Group 2. New Zealand were the first team to qualify for the last-four after beating Pakistan in Mohali on Tuesday.

Australia, with one win and one loss, will also harbour hopes of a semi-final berth. Australia play Pakistan on Friday in Mohali. A win for the Aussies will mean Sunday's clash with MS Dhoni's team will be a shootout.

The former Sri Lankan captain said India had the "quality and experience to beat Bangladesh" and that MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh gave the team a lot of solidity in the middle.

Although favourites to win on Wednesday, Sangakkara said India will be a little wary of Bangladesh "because they can cause upsets." Bangladesh had knocked India out of the 2007 (50-over) World Cup in the West Indies, remembered Sangakkara.

- Sangakkara Unhappy With Eden, Nagpur wickets -

Sangakkara said Bangalore had one of the best wickets for T20 cricket, a pitch that will suit India's stroke-makers. Sangakkara, however criticised the wickets at Nagpur and Kolkata that heavily favoured the spin bowlers.

"Extreme pitches in Nagpur and Kolkata raise a few questions that needs to be answered by the ICC. In a tournament like this, you really don't want a pitch that will favour one side over the other," the Lankan legend said.

Eden's wicket was particularly a surprise with the ball turning square from the first over. Pakistan struggled after taking first strike and subsequently lost the big game against India by six wickets. Kohli played one of the best innings of his high-profile career, taming the Eden demons with great skills.

World Twenty20, India vs Bangladesh

The Super 10 stage of the ICC 2016 World Twenty20 is at its halfway stage and permutations and combinations on which four teams will reach the semis have already started. The result of every game is crucial now and teams will also have to take note of their net run rates. It looks next to impossible for Bangladesh to reach the last four of the tournament after their loss against Pakistan and Australia, but India need to win the match against the Tigers on Wednesday and they need to do it by a good margin because it's really a tough contest in Group 2 now.

India, who were on a winning streak, suffered a shock 47-run loss to New Zealand in Nagpur in their first match of the tournament but MS Dhoni and Co. made a good come when they defeated Pakistan by six wickets in Kolkata. Bangladesh, on the other hand, couldn’t emulate their Asia Cup performance and after getting hammered by Pakistan, the Mashrafe Mortaza-led side lost to Australia by three wickets on Monday.

India have never lost a T20I against Bangladesh and the two recent wins in the Asia Cup will give them the psychological advantage. Bangladesh will be low on confidence after the recent losses and the ban on Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny has also affected their moral.
India have got a balanced squad in the format and Virat Kohli’s terrific form and the good show from the bowlers make them the favourites. Bangladesh have not been clinical but they have got some match winners and can stage an upset.

CricketNext takes you through some of the possible key battles from the match:
Rohit Sharma vs Mustafizur Rahman: Rohit Sharma, before the World T20 started, was going through a brilliant run and was scoring against every opponent. But in the first two matches of the tournament, Rohit has failed to contribute with the bat and his returning back to the form will be crucial for India. Mustafizur has been the key bowler for Bangladesh in last one year and his past record against India is impressive. He has got some brilliant off-cutters and bowls a very good slower one. He troubled the Aussie batsmen with his cutters and Rohit, who likes to score freely, will have to be cautious against him. Rohit scored 83 runs in India’s first game against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup but could only manage 1 run in the final of the tournament.

Soumya Sarkar vs Ashish Nehra: Soumya Sarkar is arguably the most elegant batsman is Bangladesh’s current squad and he has been a reliant top-order player. It is still not sure whether Tamim Iqbal, who missed the match Australia match due to fitness issues, will be fit for the India clash and it will add extra responsibility on Sarkar’s shoulders to give Bangladesh a good start. He is known for his attacking style of batting and his contest with Nehra will be interesting because the left-arm pacer opens India’s bowling and has a knack of getting early breakthroughs. Since his return to India’s T20 side, Nehra has been the spearhead of the Indian bowling attack and has troubled opponent batsmen with accurate line and length and with the variation in the pace.

Virat Kohli vs Shakib Al Hasan: This could be the most exciting battle to watch out for in the match. While Kohli is in the form of his life, scoring match-winning knocks for his team in almost every match, Shakib Al Hasan is known to be the greatest player ever for Bangladesh cricket and is also the leading wickettaker in the tournament. Kohli’s average in the T20Is is above 50 and not only he is scoring runs for India but is also taking his team from troubled situations to match-winning positions. In the Asia Cup, defending just 83-run target, Pakistan gave India three early blows through Mohammad Amir but Kohli scored a brilliant 49 to take his team to victory. Same thing happened during the WT20 when India were 23/3 chasing the 119-run target against Pakistan and Kohli played another stunning knock as the hosts kept intact their record of not losing to their arch-rivals in World Cups.

Shakib is a smart bowler, varies his pace regularly and is a patient bowler who gives flight to the batsmen even if he is getting hit for runs. He has an ability to break partnerships and is a dangerous bowler especially against the right-handers.

Mahmudullah vs R Ashwin: Mahmudullah has been in outstanding form for Bangladesh with the bat and his quick-fire knocks lower down the order has helped his team to put up fighting totals and make good comebacks. His 29-ball 49 took Bangladesh to 156/6 against Australia but they lost the match due to a good batting performance from Usman Khawaja. Mahmudullah’s ability to hit boundaries and sixes from the word go makes him an important player for Bangladesh and Mashrafe might consider sending him to bat up the order.

Ashwin has not been able to repeat his Test form in the T20Is but he is still India's lead spin bowler and on the wicket in Bengaluru - which assists spinners - he will be expected to do well against Bangladesh. He has not been the pick of the bowlers for India in the shortest format but he has been economical and bowls through his overs quickly. In the middle overs, by not giving easy runs, Ashwin helps India take control of the match and can stop Mahmudullah from going for big shots.