Mortaza unsure of a good score against India

2015 World Cup

Cricket365
March 20, 2015

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has admitted that he's not quite sure what a good score would be against India at the MCG on Thursday, saying MS Dhoni's side can chase pretty much anything down.

The Tigers reached the quarters after a thrilling win against England in the group stage, but now much face India, who are unbeaten in the tournament so far and are determined to defend their title. Mortaza hopes his batsmen can put up at least 270 if they bat first.

Mortaza said on Wednesday: "I don't know what’s a good target that can be set for this Indian team, as they have one of the best batting line-ups in world. It is very difficult for me to predict.

"India are good at chasing down totals. I hope we can play overall good cricket as then we can even defend a target of 270-280."

He specified the batsmen they'd be focusing on removing: "Dhoni is a tremendous player and a genuine match-winner. As an ODI batsman, he’s done everything he can for India in the last five or six years, maybe even more than that.

"Virat Kohli is also there. But overall I think Indian batting is the best in the world, so it will be a challenge for us."

Mortaza was also keen to stress that India may have been in Australia for months, and have gained a lot of experience, but said that on the day that wouldn't matter, and that stats and theory meant nothing in reality.

He added: "Clearly India are ahead of us if these are factors are taken into account but you don't fight on field thinking about these external factors. Cricket is not lip-service as you need to perform on the field.

"Yes, overall the Indian team is ahead of us but if we ought to have a good match then we have to play well."