After losing the recent ODI series against New Zealand 0-1, India will look get their act right in the 50-over format in the first of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh that gets underway in Mirpur on Sunday.
Ahead of the series, which, in a way, will go some way towards setting the template for India’s quest to win a world title in next year’s ODI World Cup, skipper Rohit Sharma along with stand-in Bangladesh skipper Liton Das was out in the middle to unveil the ODI series trophy on Saturday.
With regular Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal ruled out with an injury, Liton, who flayed the Indian attack for an enterprising half-century in a group-stage fixture at the T20 World Cup in Australia, was named the stand-in captain for the series.
The ODI series will be followed by two Tests, which is deemed a crucial red-ball rubber for India in the battle for the final of the World Test Championship.
Both teams will look to put their best foot forward for this series as it would be crucial to their preparation for the ODI World Cup, which is hosted by India next year.
India hold its highest winning percentage in limited-overs cricket against Bangladesh. Of the 35 ODIs between these two nations till date, India have won 30 while Bangladesh only managed five victories.
In their head-to-head record in the previous 5 ODIs, India lead 5-0, showing their dominance over the Bangla Tigers in this format. The forecast for Sunday is for clear skies, with no threats of any weather-induced disruptions.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen.
Bangladesh squad: Tamim Iqbal (C), Litton Das, Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadot Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Nurul Hasan Sohan.
