Chunk of self-belief to rub shoulder with the top guns, handful of astonishing batting performances, and a fat pinch of luck; these were the ingredients of Bangladesh's recipe for a spot in the final four. In the semi-final tie against India the intensity of a renewed sub-continent rivalry would be driving the wheels.
The Mashrafe Mortaza-led side are known for giving it their all against their mighty neighbours. The 2-1 home-series victory in 2015 and an unbelievable one-run loss in the World T20 match last year are instances that suggest Bangla tigers are raring to grab the Men in Blue by their neck.
Carrying an impressive winning rate of 56 per cent in 28 ODIs since the World Cup '15, Bangla have garnered reputation of a strong ODI side and have forced their rivals to chalk out a gameplan against them.
Part of that gameplan includes nullifying the impactful opening pair of Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar. Tamim is in form of his life and has amassed 223 runs in three matches including a ton and a 95-run innings. His partner, Soumya has failed to impress so far but was among runs prior to the tournament — two half-centuries in tri-nation series in Dublin which included New Zealand and Ireland.
Bangladesh's batting glitch lies at the beginning of the middle-order as both Imrul Kayes and Sabbir Hossain have failed to deliver at one down; they only managed paltry 33 runs at the slot.
But the batting only strengthens after that. Experienced campaigners such as Mushfiqur Rahim (79 against England), Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah have all delivered with their bat. Shakib (114) and Mahmudullah (102) dovetailed a record 224-run match-winning stand against the Kiwis.
In spite of their batting prowess, bowling has been Bangladesh's Achilles heel. Whether it is their failure to defend a 306 target in the opening match against England or giving away 324 runs against India in the warm-up game, bowling fell flat on these dry pitches. The gleam of hope comes in Taskin Ahmed, whose two-wicket spell restricted Kiwis to 268 in the virtual quarterfinals.
Though India are overwhelming favourite, Bangladesh are a known giant killer, and having four members from the 2007 World Cup side — Mashrafe, Shakib, Mushfiqur, and Tamim — that put shame on the star-studded Team India, and are capable of pouncing at opportunities thrown at them. Kohli and Co must remain alert.