SELF-BELIEF

So impressive has Ojha’s recent Twenty20 form been, so often has he stepped into the post-match press conferences holding on to the Man-of-the -Match trophies, that it was hard to believe he was making his international debut in this format.

His great strength — like much of this team — has been an incredible self-belief, a willingness to change the pace, and even toss the occasional one up. Much of that confidence, he admits, stems from his performances in the Indian Premier League, as well as the time he has spent as part of the one-day squad over the last 12 months.

“I think my ability to vary the pace of my deliveries has been the key to my success. Whenever I flight my deliveries, I’m able to exercise control on batsmen,” Ojha said. “It was quite chilly, but thanks to IPL, I was high on confidence and backed myself.”

Ojha did point out though that it was more of a team effort than it looked like at a glance. There was Rohit Sharma’s quickfire 36 at the top, Gautam Gambhir’s half-century that held things together, Yuvraj Singh’s incredible 18-ball 41 that sparked the final assault and Irfan Pathan’s last-over cameo that beefed up the total.

All the bowlers did reasonable jobs as well, while Yuvraj took a couple of blinders (and dropped a dolly) to round off a good day.

STRONG BATTING

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons felt the Indians would be tough to break down. “They keep coming at you, especially with the bat,” he said. “You pick up a few wickets and Yuvraj comes in and hits sixes. You think you’ve pegged them back again and someone comes and blasts sixes in the last over. The batting looks very strong.” Siddons said.

... contd.