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India look to recover

After being bundled out for 191 in an upset loss to Bangladesh on Saturday, India captain Rahul Dravid said his batsmen would use today's World Cup match against Bermuda to strike form.

  • AP
  • Published: 23:37 May 3, 2009
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: AP
  • India's Sachin Tendulkar (left) discusses a point with captain Rahul Dravid during their Group B match against Bangladesh.

Port of Spain, Trinidad: Bermuda's bowlers will likely be left wondering what hit them.

After being bundled out for 191 in an upset loss to Bangladesh on Saturday, India captain Rahul Dravid said his batsmen would use today's World Cup match against Bermuda to strike form.

India still expect to make the Super Eight by finishing first or second in Group B, which means they need to beat Bermuda and 1996 World Cup winners Sri Lanka in their next two matches.

Sri Lanka hammered World Cup rookies Bermuda by 243 runs last week.

"It's pretty clear what we have to do now. We have to win the remaining two games and win them convincingly," Dravid said. "We've got our task cut out. We've got our backs to the wall and must fight back."

India's loss to Bangladesh was only their second in 15 one-dayers against the subcontinental rivals, in what was their first meeting in the World Cup.

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Opener Virender Sehwag's poor form with the bat continued, bowled for 2 by Mushrafe Mortaza, although he took two of the five Bangladesh wickets to fall.

The team management that has been backing him to strike form will be confronted with a question whether or not to field the aggressive opener. Going through the leanest period of his career, Sehwag has failed to stay long enough at the pitch to get his eye in.

Sachin Tendulkar, the leading scorer in World Cups, was out for 7 and Dravid made only 14.

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly was resilient, though, top-scoring with 66 in his return to the World Cup arena. He had led India to the final in 2003.

"We have to learn lessons from the bad shots against Bangladesh," Dravid said.

India's bowlers performed slightly better, but pace ace Irfan Pathan was left out of the side for the first game. Pathan and Sehwag lost their places in the Indian team after a poor show during the recent tour to South Africa.

Bermuda coach Gus Logie, the former West Indies international, said: "It's part of the learning exercise. We've have set ourselves little goals," says Logie. "If we can bat out 50 overs against these teams, then that's a plus for us."

Bermuda are the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup.

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