Jostling neighbours

Adelaide, November 1 Fans and analysts might be asking for Rishabh Pant's flair at the top of the batting order but India could persist with the out-of-form KL Rahul as opener against Bangladesh in their Group 2 T20 World Cup match here tomorrow. Dinesh Karthik's back problem may pave the way for Rishabh Pant's appearance. Bangladesh are always a tricky opposition but India would start as favourites in their second-last league stage match. In their previous match, the famed Indian batting line-up got a rude jolt from South African fast bowlers on a pacy wicket in Perth, which would have given head coach Rahul Dravid reasons for worry. KL Rahul has scored 22 runs in three matches, with flop shows against Pakistan and South Africa, which has again raised questions over his big-match temperament and technique against quality bowling. But he might continue as opener as Dravid has an unshakeable faith in his abilities. Bangladesh, with a mediocre bowling attack, would be the ideal opposition for Rahul to regain form. Among the other top batsmen, Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli have already played brilliant knocks while Rohit Sharma looked good in making a half-century against the Netherlands. However, Pant's exclusion from the playing XI is baffling as he and Yadav bring that X-factor to the line-up. Dinesh Karthik's back problem could prove a blessing in disguise for India as it may open up an opportunity to bring in Pant. What about Ashwin? Bangladesh have four left-handers in their batting line-up — skipper Shakib al Hasan, openers Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto, and middle-order batter Afif Hossain Dhrubo — and thus India could persist with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was mauled by David Miller in the previous game. The Indian pace attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami would hold a distinct edge over the rival side's batting line-up. The Bangladesh batters have struggled in this tournament. After three games, opener Shanto is the only batter to tally 100 runs, that too at a strike rate of only 125, modest by T20I openers' standards. The second-highest run-getter is Afif, and the team would bank on him and Mosaddek Hossain in the latter part of the innings. The team that opts to bowl first might get the best use of the famous Adelaide twilight, when the ball swings a bit more than usual. With three potent swing bowlers, skipper Sharma is likely to bowl first if he wins the toss. The sharp slump in the form of Shakib, Bangladesh's only world-class player, is a key reason the team is not considered a threat. His batting has deteriorated and his left-arm spin has lost its bite, and it could just be meat and drink for the Indian batters. 16Virat Kohli (1001) needs 16 runs to surpass Mahela Jayawardene (1016) and become the leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup history. 10-1India lead the head-to-head record against Bangladesh 10-1. Bangladesh's only T20I victory vs India came during the last series between the two nations. 1This is the first T20I between India and Bangladesh since their bilateral series three years ago. 2Suryakumar Yadav is on 935 runs in 2022, and is set to become the second men's batter to get 1000-plus runs in a calendar year. We haven't come here to win the World Cup, but India have. If we win, it will be an upset victory. India are favourites tomorrow. We will have our plans in place, but not necessarily, those solutions will work — Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh skipper

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