“One should not forget that if they lose, India will lose, not India A”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has admitted that he was disappointed with the squad that India named for the upcoming three-match ODI series.

Rahim noted that he wasn’t expecting India to take the series “so lightly” after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to rest eight of their regular players.

“I didn’t expect them to take this series so lightly,” Rahim said. “We have a chance to give a reply on the field. There is extra motivation. They haven’t invited us yet so if we do well in this series, it sends a message.

“We have defeated their best team in the past. They have a young team, and despite the standard of the IPL, international cricket is a more difficult stage. And one should not forget that if they lose, India will lose, not India A. The pressure will be on them. I know most of them, and have seen them play. Even though I haven’t played against them, I have some idea. Shakib [Al Hasan] has played against all of them, so we will pick his brain. In this day and age, it is hard not to have knowledge on a player.”

However, Rahim added that his team will be under more pressure to defeat India since they are virtually sending a second-string side.

“After seeing their team, I realised that there will more expectations on us,” he said. “But usually there is more pressure when we play against India, even when they had Dhoni.

“Everyone wants us to beat them, so pressure was always there. We have to focus on what we are doing, since we have struggled in the last few months. If we can play to our potential, it is not impossible to beat their team.”