India and Bangladesh have prepared for the shorter format after the one-off test went in a draw. While the result disappointed both teams, now the neighbors are ready to allure the Cricket fans in colorful clothes.
Asked if the series holds significance, Raina said, "Yes definitely. You saw that after the IPL, the full Test team came and now the full ODI team has come.
"Bangladesh have done well in ODIs recently, and this shows how important a series this is for us. We have done well in ODIs recently, and we are looking forward to it", he added. The Uttar Pradesh left-hander will be one of the mainstays of Indian batting's middle-order alongside his captain Dhoni and Kohli.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma automatically fill in the openers' slot with the consistent Ajinkya Rahane beefing up the top-order. Ravindra Jadeja to take all-rounder's spot The all-rounder's slot could go to Ravindra Jadeja while Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashwin and Mohit Sharma are expected to form the bowling attack.
The team management might also explore the options of trying out Stuart Binny or Dhawal Kulkarni in at least one of the games. While the numero uno spot is beyond reach, Dhoni's side can reduce leader Australia's advantage to 10 points. In that scenario, Bangladesh will slip to ninth position on 96 points.
If India win the series 2-1, they will remain on 117 points, while a 2-1 loss will place them alongsgide New Zealand on 115 points. Considering the improvements Bangladesh made in ODIs in recent times, India cannot afford to take their opponents for granted.
The Tigers have whitewashed Zimbabwe and Pakistan and appear a very settled unit in 50-over format. Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed, who celebrated his ODI debut by running through India's batting order with figures of five for 28, will be keep produce a similar effort. He took three for 69 in that World Cup quarter-final defeat.
- Manohar
