Dhaka: Bangladesh will play defending champions India in the 2nd semifinal of the eight‐nation ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Thursday afternoon.

The match between the two sub‐continent rivals will begin at 3:30pm (Bangladesh time).

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe is optimistic to win the match as he said, ‘Over the last two or three years, we’ve changed a lot….Now we play with freedom. We never give up…. I know, on our day, we can do anything.’

‘Both teams have a lot of expectations. India has more pressure than us as the population is huge there and people love cricket a lot,’ Mashrafe was talking to reporters at a pre‐match press conference.

The Tigers captain likes to play the semifinal without any pressure as he tweeted on his page saying that, ‘We like to play the Champions Trophy semifinal (against India) without any pressure, no one should tag us as champions just yet, our boys want to play without any pressure.’

Indian captain Virat Kohli is not taking the semifinal lightly as he said, ‘It’s no surprise any more to anyone that they are really playing well…They are a very dangerous side on their day, and everyone realises that.’

‘They’ve really improved their cricket, and it’s a credit to their set‐up and the kind of players they have, now who are taking more responsibility,’ the Indian captain added.

The winners of the 2nd semifinal will face Pakistan in the all‐Asian‐final‐game of the 8th edition tournament at Kennington Oval in London on Sunday.

Pakistan through to final of this ICC event for the first time eliminating top‐favourite England by a stunning 8‐wicket victory with 77 balls remaining in the 1st semifinal in Cardiff on Wednesday.

This is the 2nd time, after Champions Trophy 2002, all‐Asian nations are going to fight in the final of the world 2nd most popular tournament.

Bangladesh secured five wins replaying to 26 defeats against India in their previous 32 ODI meetings where remaining one match ended in no result.

In their last game, Bangladesh fielded four fast bowlers for a five‐wicket win against New Zealand. If they want to strengthen their spin, then Mehedi Hasan Miraz could be included. Imrul Kayes is also struggling to back in the XI.

Despite Umesh Yadav has a decent record against Bangladesh, India is likely to play with the same combination that won against South Africa.