Hathurusingha: Semi a big opportunity, and not a big game

The confidence level of the Bangladesh players is perhaps higher than ever as they prepare to contest the second semi-final of the 2017 Champions Trophy against India at Edgbaston on Thursday. There have been a lot of talks regarding the India clash in the last couple of days as the confident Tigers have some sweet and bitter memories in recent times against their sub-continent rival. When asked what message Tigers head coach Chandika Hathurusingha will give to his charges as they bid to get the better of India this time around, the former Sri Lankan cricketer said they will be treating the blockbuster encounter as a big opportunity for themselves and not just an important match. “One message is that it's not a very big game. It's a very big opportunity. So my message for the boys, both juniors and seniors, is to take this opportunity with both hands,” Hathurusingha told the media during a conference after their training session in Birmingham on Tuesday. India beat the Tigers in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup while the former also inflicted a heart-breaking one-run loss on the latter in the World T20 last year. When queried if they would have revenge in their minds, the Tigers coach expressed optimism and said they will just look to enjoy the game. “There's no feeling of revenge. It's about playing a good game against a very good Indian team. And if you win, it will give us a lot of confidence. So we are thinking of only competing and doing our best. In terms of playing fearless cricket, that's what we are doing. We are backing ourselves to give our best. So whenever we go out in the middle, we give our best,” he said. Hathurusingha informed that they have the golden opportunity to show the world what they are capable of when they take to the field on Thursday. “For me, during the start of the tournament, if anyone asked me, I said they (India) are the favourite and still they are the favourite team to win this competition. But as I said before, if we play to our potential, we can give a good run to any other team and we always play according to the opposition and prepare according to conditions. We do our best and then we compete,” he said. As far as their preparation is concerned, Hathurusingha said they are focusing more on conditions and stated that they are looking forward to maximising their potential. “I think mood is very good and the players are very relaxed in the camp. We are looking forward to the game obviously. At the start of the tournament I said whatever we are going to achieve, it's going to be big. So we are very happy where we are and the way we played our game so we are confident but we are taking it like just another game. And that's how we are going to approach this game,” said Hathurusingha.