Jadeja in spotlight as India face Bangladesh

India's Ravindra Jadeja celebrates a wicket with Mohammed Shami. (Reuters)

With both Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav proving expensive against England on Sunday, it will be interesting to see if the Indian team management will try left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja against Bangladesh at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
India's assistant coach Sanjay Bangar believes Jadeja can definitely be an option for a match India need to win to book their semifinal spot. But he is quick to add that Kuldeep and Chahal failing against the English batsmen was more of a one-off situation.
"We're open to all combinations where the three seamers can play along with Hardik Pandya. We're also looking at Jadeja coming in, all players are up and figure in the team combinations we're thinking of," Bangar said.
Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who suffered a hamstring strain against Pakistan, is now fit again and will be available for selection on Tuesday.
"When you don't have major contributions from the lower order, wherein a Bhuvneshwar Kumar becomes vital. Or anybody who can be handy at No. 8, could be Jadeja. It gives a bit of a freedom to somebody batting at 6 or 7, they could start going at the bowling a bit earlier rather than leaving it for the last 3-4 overs," Bangar said.
"From that point of view, it's a tactic which we've been debating as a team combination. There will be a point in the tournament where we will have to reassess the combinations. "(As for Kuldeep and Chahal) you could say it was one of their off days. But they've been doing really well for us so we need to continue to back them. In the next games, they have a crucial role to play," he explained.
Bangar feels that knowing the ground after Sunday's game will help the Men in Blue in the game against the Bangla Tigers who face a must-win situation to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
"Yes, we're playing on the same track, we know the wicket and the dimensions well. Yes we also have to assess from the bowling perspective on how to improve there. In the last 6-7 overs we gave plenty of runs, whether that's an area where the game slipped, we'll also have to look at that.
"We also have to try and get those learnings into the next game. Every game is going to be crucial we'll assess the things that went wrong and correct those," he said.
Questions have also been raised on MS Dhoni's performance with the bat on Sunday, but Bangar believes that it is unnecessary to keep questioning Dhoni.
"Except for one odd innings, he has done the role always. Five out of seven games he has done the job for the team. If you see the earlier games, against South Africa -- he stitched together a partnership of 70 with Rohit. After that what was required of him against Australia he did that. In Manchester on a difficult track (against WI) he got a vital 58 for us.
"Here also, he was striking the ball really well. I'm surprised that this question continues to come up every now and then. He's doing the job for the team and overall we're very happy with the intent he's batting with," he pointed.
Bangar also said that the team will look to persist with Rishabh Pant at number four as a left-hander helps unsettle opposition bowlers.
"The team management has been feeling the absence of a left-hander after Shikhar was injured. It was a ploy to use right-left combination in the middle overs to upset the bowling plans a bit. Because of that Adil Rashid couldn't bowl the number of overs he'd have usually bowled.
"I felt he had a decent innings, played a couple of good shots and a partnership going. So yes we are going to persist with Rishabh," he explained. 
 

• ICC World Cup 2020