More than just a warm-up

It will only be a practice game and each team will feature 13 players. This was what Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha said ahead of the Tigers' last warm-up fixture against India. The match will start at The Oval at 10:30am today.

While it is true that it is only a practice game, the charismatic Sri Lankan knows deep down how important the fixture is for his charges before playing the ICC Champions Trophy opener against hosts England at the same venue on June 1.

“It's an opportunity for us to play against the best team. They have got the most compact batting; their bowling has also got depth and variation. It will be an occasion for our bowlers to test their skills and for our batsmen to score runs against a quality attack. Besides, India are a team so busy it is hard for any team to play against them frequently. And if we can do well in that game it will give us a world of confidence for the opening game against England,” Akram Khan, the chairman of BCB's cricket operations, said.

This game is also destined to add spice after that inexplicable defeat of the Tigers against India during the T20 World Cup last year when Bangladesh, needing two runs off the last three balls, suffered a moribund one-run defeat after the departure of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad off successive deliveries in that tense last over in Bangalore.

Bangladesh will also go into the game after an inexplicable defeat against Pakistan -- a practice game where Bangladesh scored 341 and were heading for a victory until that late Fahim Ashraf thunderstorm turned the game on its head in the last three overs. Bangladesh rested their key pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman in that game. Besides, fiery pace bowler Rubel Hossain also did not play any part on that questionable Edgbaston ground, which had a boundary square of the wicket as small as 43 meters.

There might be a possibility for Mustafizur to play against India. The left-arm pace bowler, who did some batting practice in the nets when Bangladesh played against Pakistan, bowled during an intense session close to the centre wicket at The Oval yesterday. Rubel, considered a potent weapon with the old ball, also bowled in the nets.

Opener Tamim Iqbal is doubtful for the match because of a niggle, but he did turn up to bat late in the session.

The game will also be an opportunity for Shakib Al Hasan to rediscover his batting form.

India-Bangladesh games have been associated with bad blood, especially in social media, in the recent past. It actually started after the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal between the two teams  when Bangladesh felt that they were victims of erroneous umpiring calls. Bangladesh however won the home series against India 2-1 after the World Cup. Although it will be a practice game at The Oval today, it might turn out to be more than just a warm-up with the passionate followers of both teams rooting for victory.