India can book a T20 World Cup semi-final berth when they take on Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup Super 8s at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday. The Men in Blue moved level with Australia on two points apiece when they stormed to a 47-run over Afghanistan on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh were blown away by the Baggy Greens in a rain-reduced affair and now need to beat India to keep their last-four hopes alive.
T20 World Cup Super 8s: Back Bumrah
Suryakumar Yadav took the man of the match award against Afghanistan, after his special knock of 53 off 28 under trying circumstances. India’s top order was looking brittle at 62-3 but in the space of eight overs he had guided them to 150, before becoming the fifth wicket to fall.
However, Jasprit Bumrah was unlucky not to win the vote for his stellar bowling display, which yielded three wickets for just seven runs in four overs. To put that in context, it was the second-most economical spell by an Indian player at the tournament and the best by any player in the Super 8s.
Bumrah appears to be peaking at the right time for his team and his figures of eight wickets at an average of 6.50 and an economy rate of 3.46, suggest he can be a major factor in deciding this game too.
T20 World Cup Super 8s: King Kohli to Shine
India legend Virat Kohli is having a quiet tournament by his lofty standards, but there were signs that he too is coming back to the boil during his innings in Bridgetown. The former India skipper made a run-a-ball 24 before being deceived by Rashid Khan and was visibly frustrated by his dismissal.
Kohli has a tremendous record against Bangladesh in this format, averaging a mighty 96.50 from five matches against the Tigers. He is due to make a big score in this tournament and it may be wise to back him to score more than 26, which he has done in three of his five T20 innings against Bangladesh, in this Super 8s clash.
T20 World Cup Super 8s: Shakib the Best of Bangladesh
The Bangladesh attack has little experience of success against the Indian batters and many of them will actually be facing the Men in Blue for the first time. Mahedi Hasan and Tanzim Hasan Sakib will have next to no idea of bowling at the likes of Kohli and Rohit Sharma, while even experienced heads like Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed have gone around the park when they have played India before.
The one Bangladeshi bowler whose record warrants respect from the Indian players is Shakib Al Hasan, who has gone for less than seven runs per over in four of his seven previous bowling stints against Kohli and co. The former Tigers captain did not bowl against Australia as the rain-shortened nature of that game brought others to the fore, but posted his best bowling figures of the tournament the game before when he claimed 2-9 against Nepal.
Shakib is a clever white-ball bowler who knows his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses more than any of his teammates and could be a good value pick to claim more wickets than the rest of the Tigers attack.
T20 World Cup Super 8s: India v Bangladesh Tips
Jasprit Bumrah to be Man of the Match @ 7.75 with kwiff
Virat Kohli Over 26.5 runs @ 1.85 with kwiff
Shakib Al Hasan to be Bangladesh Top Bowler @ 5.10 with kwiff
By Simon Barlow
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