Bangladesh stand on the brink of third successive home series sweep as India play for pride

Fearless and electric cricket has propelled Bangladesh into new heights in one-day cricket and one more win against India on Wednesday promises to take them straight into the record books.

Captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza’s side had aimed to take one match at a time before the three-match series and bagged the series as the dead rubber remains India’s only chance to salvage some pride.

As a result, the match loses no intensity with the hosts, too, keeping their tenacity in the hunt for another ‘Banglawash’.

On the eve of the match, Nasir Hossain said they will not take the foot off the gas and will be playing with the energy they would if they had lost the first two.

Bangladesh jumped to seventh in ICC’s ODI ranking after winning the first match while victory in the second sealed their spot in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

With the Tigers eyeing a third successive whitewash at home after routing Zimbabwe and Pakistan, it is not going to be easy for MS Dhoni and his charges to deny them.

Ravichandran Ashwin said during Tuesday’s press conference that they have ‘definitely come against a wall’ in a season which had been quite successful for Team India with over 75 percent success.

New pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman has tormented Indian batsmen with two five-wicket hauls on the bounce. The 19-year old ran through their batting as Bangladesh bowled them out in both the matches.

If the two-time World Cup winners were to reverse the trend and pull off a win, they will have to find an answer to his slowers and cutters.

But there is more to Bangladesh than just the wily seamer from far-flung Tentulia. Mashrafe himself, Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed themselves pose a big enough threat while Shakib Al Hasan can spin a web around any team.

Legspinner Jubair Hossain has been a surprise addition to the Tigers’ squad the day before the match. If they opt for a spin-heavy attack, Arafat Sunny is an option as well.

With Bangladesh’s top- and middle-order batsmen among the runs, Nasir has not had much to do with the bat. He has faced only 28 balls in last five matches but his recent bowling has been a revelation for the hosts.

He returned 2 for 36 in 10 overs in the second match with the crucial scalps of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan.

Batting has always been considered Bangladesh’s strong suit with Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Kumar Das, Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman and Nasir forming a strong lineup that bats deep.

Bangladesh, however, are not yet fully happy with their performance on the field.

Both Mashrafe and coach Chandika Hathurusingha believe there is still much room for improvement which could be an alarming statement for the number 2 ODI side.

Dhoni has been critical of his batsmen for losses in the first two matches. Sensing danger in the last match, the 33-year old Indian skipper has promoted himself to four.

Although he tried to play the anchor role, he could not rescue his side from being skittled out for 200 and an eventual series-surrendering six-wicket defeat.

Their bowlers, barring Ashwin, failed to put the Tigers batsmen under any real pressure. The hosts racked up 307 in the first ODI, which could have been more had Ashwin not intervened.

India’s talismanic spinner poses the biggest threat for Bangladesh batsmen while Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are capable of giving him good support.

Only rain can play spoilsport in the match that is set for at 3pm local time at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium that has hosted the first two ODIs as well.

Play was suspended for nearly an hour in the first match and for about two hours in the second.

Weather forecasts suggest more possibility of rain on Wednesday. If that is the case, the reserve day may come into play for the first time in the series.

India are still winless on the tour. Ashwin said on Tuesday they wanted to cap off a successful season with a win in the last match.

Bangladesh have had series wins against four Test playing nations - West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan and Zimbabwe - all clean sweep.

With supporters in Bangladesh and beyond waiting with bated breath for a whitewash, the Tigers simply cannot go easy on the two-time world champions.