World Cup 2023: India unlikely to change winning combination against Bangladesh, says Paras Mhambrey

India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey hinted at the Men in Blue not tinkering with their winning combination on the eve of their ICC World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune.

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Hosts India are one of the two teams, New Zealand being the other, that is yet to lose a game in the ongoing World Cup, having beaten five-time champions Australia in their opening game followed by comprehensive victories against Afghanistan and Pakistan. All three victories, incidentally, have come while batting second.

The decision to not make changes to their XI means the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami might have to continue warming the bench and ferrying drinks for a while longer.

“It is important to maintain the start. As of now, there is no discussion of rotation from our point of view. We want to carry this momentum to the next game as well,” Mhambrey said in the press conference on the eve of India’s fourth match of the tournament.

Both SKY and Shami had strong displays in the three-match ODI series against Australia at home right before the World Cup, but haven’t found a place in the XI in the ongoing mega-event due to the massive competition for slots.

While Shami’s place in the bowling unit has been taken up by Mohammed Siraj, who is now the preferred new-ball option alongside Jasprit Bumrah, the Men in Blue have gone with Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul as their preferred middle-order options followed by all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja.

Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin too has found it difficult despite a heroic return to ODIs in the Australia series, and his only appearance in the World Cup so far was in the opening game against the Aussies.

Mhambrey acknowledged the difficulty of leaving out such star players from the XI, and said the team management was constantly having conversations with the likes of Shami.

“Honestly, it is never easy to see. But right now the conversations are on, we had a clear chat with him (Shami). Whenever we select a squad the message from us is clear that we pick a team we feel is the best for that wicket,” Mhambrey said.

“Sometimes you will miss out, someone like him is missing out, someone like Ash (Ravinchandran Ashwin) will miss out and I think that is the communication we had with him (and) we were very clear.

“It is a difficult decision, honestly we know with the quality that he brings to the team. It is difficult but we have to take the decision, we (can) only have eleven on the field,” the India bowling coach added.

Mhambrey, who represented India in two Tests and three ODIs between 1996 and 1998, also praised Ashwin for being a “great team guy” as well as “360 player” Surya.

“He (Ashwin) has been a great lad, he understands that, he is a great team guy. I have never seen him grumpy, I have never seen him complaining at any time in any of the last few years that he has been with us.

“Surya is a champion, he is a match-winner for you. He has shown (it) to you. He is a difficult batsman to bowl anywhere, look at the fine leg area (and) you need to get it covered, you look at third man (and) you need to get it covered. You bring covers up and he starts hitting out there. He is a 360 (degree) player

“It is a difficult decision, like Ashwin, like Shami. Surya is a quality player, (but) it is difficult to get someone like him,” added Mhambrey.

The upcoming fixture, in which two-time world champions India will be eyeing their fourth win on the trot, will be the first of the ongoing tournament at Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. The venue is set to host another four games after this one, none of them featuring the Indian team though.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be looking to get back to winning ways after suffering back-to-back defeats in their last two outings. They began their campaign with a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan, but would suffer lop-sided defeats against defending champions England (137 runs) and New Zealand (eight wickets) in their next two fixtures.