India’s
wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik yesterday said Bangladesh are
always a tricky opposition and that his team would bring high intensity
to the Twenty20 tri-series final between the two sides today.
Skipper
Rohit Sharma’s team was the first to book its place in the final after
winning three of its four games at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium.
India hold a psychological edge going into the tournament decider, with a 7-0 record in T20s against lowly-ranked Bangladesh.
But
Karthik insisted India would not take Bangladesh lightly after the
Shakib Al Hasan-led team stunned Sri Lanka, beating the hosts by two
wickets on Friday to reach the final.
“In sub-continent conditions, (Bangladesh) are a very good team,” Karthik told reporters.
“When
we play Bangladesh, if we win, it’s like ‘Ok, you’ve won against
Bangladesh’, but if we lose, it’s like: ‘Dude, you’ve lost to
Bangladesh. What are you doing?’”
India went into the tournament
without top guns Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and lost their
opening match to Sri Lanka, but soon bounced back to win three straight
games.
Karthik, a middle-order batsman who is mostly a second-choice
wicketkeeper behind Dhoni, said the team has not lost focus in the
absence of big names.
“The first thing (Sharma)... said was that
although we have a few of our other players missing, we’re looking to
play exactly the sort of cricket that we’ve played in the past one year.
We’re looking to win every match,” Karthik said.
India are third in
the world T20 rankings, with Pakistan at the top, while Bangladesh are
10th below minnows Afghanistan.Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al
Hasan said his side has put the ill-tempered encounter with Sri Lanka
behind them and are fully focussed on the tri-series final against India
“The
two cricket boards have (had) good relations for the last 10-15 years.
Players have great relations too... We must move forward from this,”
Shakib told reporters.
Bangladesh, 10th in the world T20 rankings — below Afghanistan — have never beaten India in the shortest format of the sport.
“If
you think about pressure, it is pressure. If you don’t think about
pressure, it is not pressure,” said the star allrounder, who returned to
lead Bangladesh in the last round-robin game after most of the
tri-series due to injury.
“I am sure everyone is relaxed, and if we can be like this until tomorrow’s match, it will be good for us.”
Bangladesh
have never won a T20 tournament since they started playing the format
in 2006, but Shakib said he is confident his side will go into the final
with a positive mindset.
“If we think it is a big final against
India, then it is pressure. Rather, let’s think about a bat v ball
contest,” he said with a smile.
India captain Rohit Sharma and his Bangladeshi counterpart Shakib Al Hasan at the nets in Colombo yesterday.