5 reasons why the series between India A & Bangladesh A is crucial
There was a time when Bangladesh was considered as mere minnows of cricket. Playing against them was like a walk in the park for the cricketing giants. They produced an odd victory here and there which they used to celebrate for long. Those days are well and truly gone.
Bangladesh has recently emerged as a commanding force in the game of cricket. They have defeated the stalwarts of the game like New Zealand, Pakistan, India and South Africa at home and that too very comprehensively. They have proved that they can no longer be taken lightly by any means.
Now for them comes an all important tour to India. The ‘A’ sides of both nations are ready to battle it out in India. The senior teams may not be playing, but here are the reasons why this series is going to catch a lot of eyes.
1. Bangladesh’s opportunity to prove they can win outside home
Bangladesh has emerged as a dominant side in their home conditions. Now that the Tigers move out of their den, it is their chance to show to the cricketing world that they are not just home track bullies and can also win away matches.
They have named a strong side for the tour with as many as 14 out of the 15 in the squad having the taste of international cricket. Led by Mominul Haque, this team will be all pumped up to take on the India ‘A’ side.
They will take confidence from the ODI series victory against India at home. They have got some exciting talents like Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain, Liton Das, and Soumya Sarkar who look destined to take Bangladesh cricket to the next level.
2. India’s next bunch of batting talents on show
This series is going to be crucial for India as much as for Bangladesh. India ‘A’ squad is studded with plenty of skilled young batsmen like Unmukt Chand, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair & Baba Aparajith.
These players have justified themselves on several occasions in the IPL. Now with good performances in this series, they can catch the eyes of the selectors and make a move towards international selection.
On the back of a good triangular series involving South Africa ‘A’ and Australia ‘A’, Unmukt Chand, captain of the India ‘A’ one day side, would look to continue the winning momentum.
3. Test for Bangladesh youngsters in the Indian conditions
Many of the Bangladeshi players in the squad have never played in the Indian conditions. The pitches here would be quite different from what Bangladeshi pitches has on offer. It would be a great exposure for all the young players to get a feel of this country.
It promises to be a tough time for both the batsmen and the bowlers. All the matches will be played in Bangalore. The 22 yards here are a lot different from that of Dhaka. The spinners won’t get that much purchase from the surface and there will be some assistance for the seamers as well.
Bangladesh has been reliant heavily on spin; here the pacers would also be required to play their part. This tour can result in a base for the selections for the future foreign tours.
4. Ideal preparation for Bangladesh ahead of Australia series and the World T20
Bangladesh has a big series to follow after this one. The world champions Australia are to tour Bangladesh for a two-Test series and this will be the hosts’ toughest assignment in the recent times. Bangladesh would look to utilise the India tour as a preparation for that series. The selectors will keep close eyes on the tour and would look to cement a powerful squad against the mighty Aussies.
The World T20 2016 is to be played in India. There would be no better time for the Bangladeshi youngsters to get accustomed to the Indian conditions. After an impressive outing in the ODI World Cup 2015, Bangladesh could make a strong case in the World T20 too. Compared to other nations, Bangladeshi conditions are more similar to that of India’s. And who knows, they might be in for big surprises in the prestigious event.
5. Promotes more such tours of ‘A’ teams to smaller nations
Cricket might be a hugely beloved game in the subcontinent, but it still remains highly unpopular in most parts of the world. ICC has taken several steps to promote cricket in those parts.
One substantial way to increase the popularity would be to encourage more tours of ‘A’ sides of the stronger nations like India and Australia to the smaller nations to make them competent at the biggest level. This would attract a lot crowd in those nations as well because well-known personalities of cricket would be visiting their countries. This would also help to enhance the level of cricket in the smaller countries.