Plot:

After a topsy-turvy group stage in the Champions Trophy, marred by rain and unpredictability, India topped Group B, while Bangladesh were placed second on Group A, setting up a clash between the two sides. In the recent past, India-Bangladesh games have nearly matched the intensity of India-Pakistan games. Battles on the field between these two sides have risen to fever-pitch on more occasions than one. In ICC tournaments too, India and Bangladesh have been part of some intriguing clashes that went down to the last over. Bangladesh are no more underdogs in global tournaments. They have beaten top-ranked teams comfortably and India will be wary of their threat.

The Indian team started off their campaign with an authoritative victory over Pakistan. They then had to face the Lankan surge, as they chased over 300 with ease against India. With a virtual quarter-final to be played against South Africa, India got their act together, as they bowled the Proteas out for under 200 and gunned the target down without breaking sweat.

Bangladesh’s tournament got off to a rough start. They played the in-form hosts, England who beat them comprehensively. In their next game against Australia, weather played its hand and the match was abandoned. Bangladesh had one point in their bag, going into the final game against New Zealand. They had to pin their hopes on England beating Australia on the following day. In the day, all the pieces of the puzzle fell in place for Bangladesh as they beat the Kiwis under testing circumstances and England then went on to beat the Aussies, giving them a ticket to the semis.

India and Bangladesh have met frequently in the last few ICC tournaments. In the 2015 World Cup, Rohit Sharma scored a century to ensure that India got past 200. The contest in the 2016 World T20 reached a crescendo as Bangladesh had India under pressure after restricting them to just 146. The chase went down to the final over and Hardik Pandya pulled a special one out of his bag, defending 11 runs and ensuring that India didn’t get knocked out. India and Bangladesh have never played beyond the quarter-final stage. This is the first time they will lock horns in the semi-final of an ICC event.

Stage:

Edgbaston, Birmingham

India have a brilliant record in Birmingham! They possess the best win percentage among all grounds in England. The pitch should be largely conducive for batting, but the pitch has been used previously in the tournament and could be a bit slower than it was when India played their first game of the tournament.

Acts:

Rohit Sharma vs Rubel Hossain

Remember the full toss and the catch that led to so much talk! Rubel was the bowler in the 2015 World Cup’s quarter-final when he thought he had Rohit, but the umpire signalled the delivery as a no-ball. In the Champions Trophy warm-up, Rubel bowled Rohit and his celebration showed how much the wicket, albeit in a warm-up match, meant to him. This will be a battle that a lot of us will have our eyes on.

Virat Kohli vs Shakib Al Hasan

India’s superstar vs Bangladesh’s superstar! Virat Kohli has scored four half-centuries in the Champions Trophy, but a century which he usually scores very frequently in ODIs, has evaded him so far. He has been dismissed by Shakib thrice in ODIs and will be looking to set the record straight against the left-arm spinner.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Tamim Iqbal

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is at his most dangerous with the new ball. Tamim Iqbal has been the in-form batsman for Bangladesh, for months now. The opener has got the team off to sound starts with regularity. If Bhuvi gets the ball swinging in his first over itself, he could pose a lot of problems for Tamim.

Bangladesh have improved by the tournament in the recent few years. India have a good record against them in ICC tournaments, but they can’t afford to let their guard down against Bangladesh, who possess some good all-round strengths in all departments of the game. The game begins at 3 PM on Thursday.