New Zealand will take nothing for granted against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens today despite running high in the ICC World Twenty20 with three wins in as many matches.
The Kiwis, the first team to reach the semi-finals, will face a group of wounded Tigers, who came close to knocking out tournament hosts India in the previous match before suffering a traumatic one-run loss.
The Kiwis are unbeaten against Bangladesh in Twenty20 format but lost their last seven one-day internationals to the side in sub-continent, a record which is regarded as the lowest point in their history.
‘Most of the time when we played them in these conditions, they’ve been really good opposition,’ said leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. ‘The last game was a highlight of how strong they can be in these conditions,’ said Sodhi.
‘To take the game to that close in a game against India… I don’t think anyone would take them lightly. We have to start again and adapt to the conditions,’ he added.
Sodhi said that they know their game won’t be an easy one against Bangladesh despite their all win record in the ongoing tournament.
‘We have to keep the things relatively similar to what we have been doing,’ said Sodhi.
‘The opposition is completely different to the ones we have faced so far. We still got to treat it like any other game and play the same way that we have been doing,’ he said.
Sodhi and Mitchell Santner had been quite a revelation for New Zealand as they stopped the opposition from positing a good total in all three matches that the side played so far.
While Sodhi stopped the flow of the game, left-arm spinner Santner looked to trouble the batsmen with his superb display of spin bowling.
Their partnership is considered to be one of the major reasons for the Kiwis doing so well in the tournament.
‘We played a lot of domestic cricket so far for Northern Districts, played some crucial role for T20 and in one-day cricket,’ said Sodhi.
‘To be able to do this at this level is really very pleasing. To have a good partner at the other end supports me really well,’ he said.
-With New Age input
