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Dhoni wary of unpredictable Bangladesh

June 27, 2008 19:03 IST

Wary of an unpredictable Bangladesh team, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni [ Images ] said his boys will not make the mistake of taking their opponents lightly, as even a hint of complacency could lead to them being upstaged in Saturday's super-four encounter in the Asia Cup, in Karachi.

India [ Images ] are overwhelming favourites in Saturday's clash, but Bangladesh are known to stun fancied teams once in a while, which has prompted Dhoni to remind his players of the perils of taking the opposition lightly.

"Cricket is a cruel game and you can't afford to relax any day. We are here, like the others, to try to win this tournament, as it is a big one from the Asian point of view," Dhoni said.

He said Thursday night's victory over Pakistan, which gave the Indians two carry-forward points, was just the kind of morale booster needed ahead of the super-four stage.

"We are carrying two points forward with us and that is a very big advantage for any side," he added.

India go into the match still unsure about the fitness of Irfan Pathan [ Images ], who did not play in the last two matches due to a side strain.

Among the other super-four qualifiers, Pakistan is likely to be without top pacer Umar Gul, who bowled just eight deliveries against India before limping of with a rib cage injury.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag [ Images ], Gautam Gambhir [ Images ], Yuvraj Singh [ Images ], Robin Uthappa [ Images ], Yusuf Pathan [ Images ], Suresh Raina [ Images ], Rohit Sharma [ Images ], Piyush Chawla [ Images ], Manpreet Gony, Ishant Sharma [ Images ], R P Singh, Pragyan Ojha [ Images ], Praveen Kumar [ Images ].

Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful [ Images ] (C), Mashrafe Mortaza [ Images ], Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Dolar Mahmud, Farhad Reza, Mahmudullah, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mosharraf Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nazimuddin, Raqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Tamim Iqbal.

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