A resolute Bangladesh team is expected to give a tough challenge in home conditions to the visiting Indian team as the three-match ODI series begins on Sunday in Mirpur.
With the road to the 2023 ODI World Cup in India the primary focus since the preceding tour of New Zealand, eyes will be firmly on India's approach towards sharpening its 50-over skills.
A consistent Shikhar Dhawan and a supremely talented KL Rahul will battle it out for the opener's slot even as a top-heavy Indian batting line-up will aim for transformation and show more intent against a gutsy Bangladesh.
The focus for the next one year will primarily be on ODIs and just like the T20Is, India's approach in the 50-over format needs a sea change.
Sometimes having a plethora of options isn't actually a good headache to have as it creates more confusion among the rank and file of the team.
When there are similar skill-set options, the coach tries to give everyone equal opportunities but it results in not having a settled line-up and this is not an ideal situation when a marquee event is round the corner.
Currently, the Indian white-ball squad is going through that particular phase.
A few years back, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were automatic picks as India's preferred ODI opening pair with hardly any questions asked or their spots being debated.
But Dhawan's slow approach in the Powerplay overs and the emergence of Shubman Gill (rested for this tour) as a potent 50-over opener is bound to throw up possibilities.
KL Rahul, during the last phase of Ravi Shastri's coaching stint, played a few games in the middle-order but he loves to bat at the top and has had a fair amount of success too.
Ironically, the numbers in the face of it will not give a clear indication as to who should be Rohit's opening partner for the series.
In the 19 ODI innings that Dhawan has opened for India in 2022, he had a poor strike-rate of 75.11. While between 2016-18, it used to be 101 and between 2019-21, it dipped but was still a steady 91.
Rahul, who has five hundred and 10 fifties in 45 ODIs with a healthy strike-rate 85 plus and an impressive average of 45, looks a better candidate.
Rahul, though, could be seen opening the batting with skipper Rohit, in case the team decides to give rest to Dhawan, who has flown in from New Zealand to join the India squad in Bangladesh.
Sorting out the middle-order
While Virat Kohli at No. 3 is an automatic choice, Shreyas Iyer as India's No. 4 is slowly settling down. Rishabh Pant, after his heroics in the ODI series in England, remains ahead of Ishan Kishan to start as No. 5 in the line-up.
Pant has copped a lot of flak for some of his cheap dismissals in T20s but despite some underwhelming shows in the recently concluded series, he remains the first choice keeper in 50 over format
Kishan, who prefers opening in T20 has got all his three half-centuries in ODIs batting at either No. 3 or 4.
It is believed that Kishan isn't being looked at as a finisher and hence if he is played, he has to be fitted somewhere in top four.
But this whole equation could be turned upside down if Rahul decides to keep wickets, something which he has done sporadically in the past.
With no Sanju Samson in this particular series, Rajat Patidar and Rahul Tripathi, two consistent domestic cricket and IPL performers will fancy a chance or two to stay in the mix.
Tripathi also bowls a bit of seam-up stuff and in the absence of Hardik Pandya (rested due to workload), the Pune man might just provide a back-up option.
Umran in, Shami out
With Mohammed Shami ruled out due to shoulder injury, Umran Malik, who looked impressive in conducive conditions in New Zealand, has a chance to show a different facet of his bowling on tracks that are expected to be batting friendly. The pitches are likely to be a tad slower.
Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur look certain to start against a Bangladesh side that will miss regular skipper Tamim Iqbal.
The Indian team mustn't have forgotten the recent pasting that they got from newly-appointed ODI captain Litton Das in a T20 World Cup match in Adelaide.
Litton will like to lead from the front, but it is the Bangladesh bowling that will face the real test against the formidable Indian batting line-up.
The hosts too will be looking to analyse the squad and its performance in the run-up to the ODI World Cup next year.
