ICC Champions Trophy 2017, India vs Bangladesh semi-final: 5 key player battles
Virat Kohli’s India face a potentially tricky encounter against a determined Bangladesh side in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. This is the first time that India and Bangladesh will square off in this tournament and the winner will take on Pakistan in the final on Sunday.
Ahead of the key encounter, here are some of the key player clashes that could determine the course of the match in Edgbaston.
Rohit Sharma v Mustafizur Rahman
The opener might be in a good nick of late with scores of 91, 78 and 12 so far in the tournament, but he wouldn’t be a comfortable man while facing the young fast bowler. Mustafizur Rahman, who made his debut against India in a three-match series in 2015, has dismissed the opener on all three occasions during the series.
Tamim Iqbal v Bhuvneshwar Kumar
An interesting contest will be on the cards between these two as Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been pretty consistent with the ball of late as has been Tamim. While Tamim has been dismissed by seamers on four occasions of his last 10 ODI outings, Bhuvneshwar has been impressive against southpaws in the Champions Trophy with three of his four victims being left-handers.
Virat Kohli v Rubel Hossain
The brawl between the two at the 2015 World Cup wasn’t the first time and wasn’t certainly the last time ever. The two have a heated affair and according to Hossain, it dates back to their U-19 days. While Kohli averages a staggering 69.75 against Bangladesh, Hossain has also managed to dismiss Kohli twice in the 10 matches the batsman has played against his side.
Shakib Al Hasan v Jasprit Bumrah
The two haven’t ever met before in an international match and it might turn out to be an exciting contest between the experienced all-rounder and India’s new-found specialist in the death overs. Although Shakib is a much more accomplished bowler than his batting credentials, but more often than not, he has had to hold fort and guide his side home after a dismal show from the top-order.
Shikhar Dhawan v Mashrafe Mortaza
The left-handed batsman is in a scintillating form in the ongoing Champions Trophy and is currently the highest run-getter with 271 runs to his name. On Thursday, he might get on song as well against The Tigers, against whom he has scored half-centuries in their previous two encounters. Captain Mortaza has to find a way to to send him back soon in order to provide Bangladesh a good start upfront.
