Tigers can turn fortunes against India, Pak: Talha

Former national pacer Talha Jubair believes Bangladesh can turn things around against India in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy and is optimistic about their chances against hosts Pakistan in the eight-team event, set to begin on February 19.

“Whenever we play against India, we have big expectations. Having come close on many occasions, we couldn’t finish the job. I hope that we’ll be able to finish this time. And it’s possible to beat Pakistan,” Talha told reporters in Mirpur on Saturday.

Bangladesh, who started their pre-tournament preparations in Dubai on Saturday after arriving a day earlier, are in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, and New Zealand.

Since Bangladesh’s 2007 ICC World Cup victory over India, the Tigers have fought hard in a losing cause several times, with the 2016 T20 World Cup being a notable heartbreak as they lost by one run in Bengaluru despite needing just two runs off three balls.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup, they suffered a narrow five-run defeat in Adelaide after a rain-affected chase. Bangladesh also fared well in the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals and the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinals but India proved a tough nut to crack.

Against Pakistan, Bangladesh’s record in ICC events is rather unimpressive, with only one win in the 1999 World Cup. However, they made history last year by defeating Pakistan 2-0 in Rawalpindi in the ICC Test Championship, securing their first-ever Test series win over them. With their Champions Trophy match set for the same venue, Talha remains hopeful.

The current BCB coach also feels that bowling in partnership will be key for the Tigers in the mega event.

“Bowling in partnership is essential… So it’s important to keep pressure on them by not leaking runs, even if you can’t take wickets,” said Talha, who was recently seen working with the Tigers during their Bangladesh phase of preparation after the end of the Bangladesh Premier League.

“There is a matter of changing the mood when you are switching from T20 to the one-day format. We worked on that aspect,” he concluded.

Bangladesh will begin their tournament campaign against India on February 20 in Dubai before they take on New Zealand and Pakistan in their remaining Group A matches on February 24 and 27, respectively.

Before the tournament campaign gets underway, Bangladesh are also scheduled to play a warm-up game against Pakistan Shaheens on February 17 at the ICC Cricket Academy in Dubai.