‘Every team can beat India’: Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons fires Gautam Gambhir a brutal warning
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The Bangladesh coach, Phil Simmons, has dared to make an audacious statement, claiming that India is not an unbeatable team in the Asia Cup. He has made it clear that he would be looking forward to riding on the hype around India and enjoying the moment and the game at the Dubai International Stadium.
T20 Cricket is slowly turning more towards analysis; however, Simmons had a different take on this theory of having more risk-takers in the team.
"I don't know about risk in the T20 format. Since I've been here, we've tried to make sure that this is the way we want to play. And we've picked the correct players to play that way. And so far, it's benefitted us. It's going well," he asserted.
"...as long as I'm confident and my staff and myself, including the captain, are confident in what we're doing and how we're guiding the team, then criticism is like water off a duck's back," Simmons said when asked about how he handles the incessant criticism.
"We will try to play as best as we can and hope to find chinks in India's armour" - Phil Simmons
Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons has shown sheer belief in the abilities of his side when they take on the reigning World Champions, India, in their upcoming Super-4 encounter. He has claimed that what they have done in the past doesn't matter; what they can pull off on Wednesday is what counts.
"The game is played on the day. It's not what India has done before. It's what happens on Wednesday. It's what happens during that three-and-a-half-hour period. We will try to play as best as we can and hope to find chinks in India's armoury. That's the way we win games."
When asked whether India could be defeated in this Asia Cup, Phil Simmons, who has witnessed even the mighty West Indies being defeated back in their prime years, said, "Every team has the ability to beat India. Every game, especially games involving India, have a hype because they're the number one T20 team in the world. There must be a hype. We're just going to ride on the hype," he added.
"I don't think the toss has that much of an effect" - Bangladesh coach rules out coin toss as a decisive factor
Phil Simmons believes that the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) track is really good for batting, and the toss won't be a huge factor going into the match.
"I didn't see much of a difference in the wicket over the 40 overs. I think it's some of the best wickets I've seen here for a while. I think last night (India vs Pakistan) it was the same."
"The wicket was really good to bat. Bowlers had to bowl properly. I don't think the toss has that much of an effect," the Bangladesh coach predicted.
"I think the guys are fit enough to handle the back-to-back game" - Phil Simmons drops a fitness update alongside praising the seasoned bowler, Mustafizur Rahman
The September heat of Dubai has some toiling effect on the players, and hence, the back-to-back games in this weather can be very challenging for the cricketers.
"It is extremely difficult to play back-to-back T20 matches and back-to-back ODIs. So it's not a nice thing, but again, we are prepared; we have trained really hard," the coach admitted.
"I think the guys are fit enough to handle the back-to-back game. But it is not a fair thing for any team to have to play back-to-back T20s. It's a lot more difficult than people seem to think," said the coach, who played 26 Tests and 143 ODIs for the West Indies during his playing days," Phil Simmons added.
The coach Phil Simmons also mentioned the senior players in the team and mainly shed light on the crucial role played by Mustafizur Rahman, one of their most experienced players. He has also been reported to take the initiative in team meetings and guide his fellow juniors.
"He's been the main bowler. And he's carrying that mantle of being the senior bowler on the team. And even in meetings and everything, he's really stepping up. So it's great to see him performing out there."
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India National Cricket Team Bangladesh National Cricket Team India vs Bangladesh Asia Cup Phil Simmons
