IND vs BAN: Legendary West Indies player Brian Lara made a bold prediction ahead of India’s Super 8 clash against Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on June 22, Saturday. Lara predicted that India would score a hundred runs without losing any wickets, indicating that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli would perform well in the match.
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“India is going to be 100 without loss in that match if they bat first, right? And even if they bat second, they are going to be 100 without loss. Of course, Fizz is an amazing bowler. He is going to come out and threaten but I just feel that India is just too much and that roller coaster and, you know, they just seem to roll every team at the moment and that’s how I think it’s going to happen. India is very concerned about the opening partnership, and they’re going to fix that against Bangladesh. I don’t think that Bangladesh is going to be a threat,” Lara told Star Sports.
Can Indian Openers Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Bounce Back In IND vs BAN?
Concerns have been growing about the form of these two key players in the T20 World Cup 2024. Despite India’s unbeaten run and a streak of four victories, Rohit and Kohli have yet to make significant contributions with the bat.
Rohit has managed just 76 runs in four innings, averaging 19.00 with a strike rate of 111.76, while Kohli has scored only 29 runs at an average of 7.25 and a strike rate below 88. In their stead, other batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant have stepped up, supported by a strong collective bowling effort from the Indian team.
Lara has been impressed with India’s progress towards the semi-finals and suggested that Bangladesh might not pose a significant threat. However, he noted that Kohli and Rohit should be cautious of left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman.
Rohit has struggled against left-arm spin in recent years and throughout the current tournament. He has been dismissed by left-arm pacers in all four innings of the T20 World Cup 2024 and will be looking to overcome this challenge against Bangladesh.
Brian Lara Backs Virat And Rohit To Take BAN By Storm
Will Rohit and Kohli return to form? Lara expressed confidence that the form of Kohli and Rohit should not be a major concern for India, backing the pair to score runs against Bangladesh.
“Yeah. I think the Indian team expects a good opening partnership. Everything is falling into place. This World Cup is a World Cup where no team is very dominant because of the state of the pitches. But if India can solve the opening problem, and it’s not a problem, it’s the two best T20 players in the world, they are not going to run right now.”
“But I think in this home run, I think it’s going to give India that impetus that is needed going into the back end of the tournament of the semi-finals and the finals. So, this match, I think that those two great players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are going to come to the fore,” Lara added.
Both Rohit and Kohli had an intense batting practice session in the nets at Antigua during an optional training session.
Also Read: T20 World Cup: Leading Run Scorers And Wicket Takers In The Tournament
