Good opportunity for youngsters: Raina

India's stand-in captain Suresh Raina said the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh is a good opportunity to try out new players ahead of next year's 50-over World Cup.

"The World Cup is coming up and you need to try a lot of players. I think it is a good opportunity for youngsters to do really well in this series and see how it goes in upcoming matches," Raina said.

Defending the selectors decision to pick a relatively inexperienced squad, Raina said: "I don't think they took the series lightly. The England tour is coming up and so few of the players are rested. If you look at the side, all the players have done well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and first-class cricket."

Raina also reacted to some of the comments by Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim regarding the Indian squad for the series. "I think the Bangladesh captain said we are coming with the A team. We are playing between two countries. It's really important for us to play fearless cricket."

"A lot of our players have done really well and I think the series is a good platform for them to cement their places in the team," the left-handed batsman, who had a prolific IPL-7 for Chennai Super Kings, said.

In the current Indian squad, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu and Amit Mishra are the only ones to have played in India's last 50-over game against a full member. Players such as Cheteshwar Pujara, Kedar Jadhav, who has had a good IPL-7, and Manoj Tiwary were seen toiling hard during the training session.

"Some players are coming back to the Indian team, some are getting their chance to play. It's important to stick to together. It is a short tour for us, seven days, three one-dayers and no gaps in between. You have to plan very well and work really hard," Raina said.