India will play Bangladesh in their first and only warm-up game on June 1 at the Nassau County International Cricket Ground in New York City. The T20 World Cup is slated to be held in the West Indies and USA in June this year.
The game will test India’s compatibility with this format after hardly a week has passed since the end of the IPL. However, what will work in their favour is that the squad was separate from the two teams that played in the IPL final.
Bangladesh will face this as a big test ahead of the tournament and a quality level-up after playing only the United States, whom they lost the T20I series. Bangladesh will try not to make too many mistakes against their rivals.
Predicted Squads
IND: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
BAN: Litton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali (wk), Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.
Key Players
Virat Kohli (India): Virat Kohli, perhaps the best batter in the world, comes into this game on the back of a stupendous run in the IPL, where he ended as the highest run-getter and winner of the Orange Cap. He will do his best to destroy Bangladesh’s confidence.
Mustafizur Rahman (BAN): Left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who plays in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, knows this Indian lineup well. He will be keen on doing well against them, and his knowledge of the opponents may give him an edge over them.
Match Prediction
India are the downright favourites to win this game. The Men in Blue desperately need this game before the T20 World Cup. It will also allow their players to gel well as a side and not get too bogged down, given they have hardly had time together since the end of the IPL this season.
