In their World Cup match against Bangladesh, India will want to maintain their winning streak

According to the sides’ present records, India’s World Cup opener against Bangladesh here on Thursday is expected to be a rout for Rohit Sharma’s squad.

However, one will need to pull away that perspective depending on the form book if the glossy surface is damaged.

In the previous four one-day internationals, Bangladesh has defeated India three times: twice in a bilateral series in December 2022 and most recently in the Asia Cup Super Four match.

The underdogs in this event have already shown how to defeat the favorites. If in doubt, inquire about England’s and South Africa’s reactions to their shocking defeats by Afghanistan and the Netherlands, respectively.

India will undoubtedly want to avoid that potential banana peel and continue their successful World Cup run.

In terms of batting, skipper Rohit will want to keep up his dominant form, while top order batsmen Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli will be motivated to put up massive totals.

With incredible scores of 86 against Pakistan and 131 against Afghanistan, Rohit has been at the heart of India’s dominance in the previous few games. India now holds the top slot in the points standings and will want to continue their winning streak.

Given that he is back to full health and has had a great run in the ODIs this year, Gill, the younger opening partner of Rohit, will be eager to achieve a big score for himself. However, the two runs of the highest quality have placed Rohit in the spotlight.

A mistimed smash by Kohli against Pakistan resulted in an early departure, but it was just a small hiccup considering the batsman’s earlier magnificent 85 against Australia and match-winning 55 not out against Afghanistan.

The undefeated fifty by Shreyas Iyer against Pakistan, among other things, has shown that India’s batting is clicking together and there are no major issues. As a result, the group could decide against changing the successful formula just yet.

While India will try to take advantage of the favorable batting conditions at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, their mixed record of four wins in seven ODI matches at this venue, coupled with their recent run against Bangladesh — three defeats in the last four one-dayers — makes the bowlers’ role all the more crucial.

India will undoubtedly be strong favorites against Bangladesh given their bowlers’ elite efforts in holding Australia and Pakistan to meager totals of 199 and 191, respectively.

Although Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance and Kuldeep Yadav’s cunning made them a standout attack from the rest in the competition, the Indian bowlers have also done a collective job in controlling the opposition’s scoring rate and making regular inroads even on the flattest of decks.

If Bangladesh spends a significant portion of their preparation time on strategies to thwart Rohit, whose scorching form bodes well for a third consecutive century in World Cup matches against the “Tigers,” they are not to be held accountable.

India crossed the 300-run threshold for the third time in a row since the 2011 World Cup against Bangladesh thanks to Rohit’s incredible scores of 137 in the quarterfinal in Melbourne (2015 World) and 104 in Birmingham (2019). On each of these instances, India buried their opponents beneath a mound of runs.

The Indian skipper leads all batters in World Cup history with eight centuries, and considering his outstanding play, it remains to be known whether he will reach double-digit hundreds totals.

Despite their flawless record so far, India will want to avoid becoming complacent since this World Cup has already delivered two dramatic shocks, with South Africa being halted in their tracks by a determined Netherlands and defending champions England being pursued by Afghanistan.

Bangladesh are no pushovers, and they have shown to be a difficult opponent for India to face, but the understanding of the circumstances and an anticipated full stadium at the MCA Stadium guarantee India the finest environment once again to record another victory in this World Cup and continue their march into the quarterfinals.

Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s greatest player and captain, must overcome his quad injury to his left leg in order to be fit for selection on Thursday.

Shakib, who did not bowl during the team’s practice on Tuesday, will be crucial if Bangladesh is to compete with India.

Bangladesh is in a precarious situation after a convincing victory in the World Cup opening and two losses to superior opponents, knowing that a third straight setback would further diminish their chances.

Only Mushfiqur Rahim has performed the heavy lifting in the middle order, so Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz each have one half-century to show from the first three games. More will be anticipated from youthful players Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy.

The squad has been scrambling for bowling alternatives, and Taskin Ahmed’s abrupt deterioration in performance has added pressure. The right-arm seamer has only managed two wickets in three appearances.

With just two wickets to his name after three games, Mustafizur Rahman’s results have been mostly disappointing for someone with his level of expertise.

The Squads (From): India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav.

Bangladesh: Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib (c), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk).