World Cup 2023: India's sublime form to be challenged by Bangla Tigers

The great Bangladesh pitfall of the 2007 World Cup has fired up the Indian team to forever not let its guard down against Shakib Al Hasan and his boys. In this edition of the World Cup, India are in strike mode, sporting firepower both with the bat and ball. So, navigating the Pune contest should not be an issue, writes Meenakshi Rao

Pune (Maharashtra): The mood and the confidence are bleeding blue, what with the sublime form Team India has hit in this World Cup, high on which they meet Bangladesh at Pune tomorrow. Skipper Rohit Sharma, with a century and an 86 in three matches, is leading a unit that has grown from being just a batters’ paradise to becoming an all-round performing squad with the bowling and fielding departments giving this World Cup moments to remember.

With three straight wins against the giants of the game – Australia, Pakistan – and also Afghanistan, it’s a high that needs further momentum. Having said that, however, Bangladesh has been India’s Achilles heel which has neither gained stature nor eminence in world cricket. Some memories can seldom be forgotten, and India’s summary ouster from the Caribbean World Cup of 2007 by Bangladesh is one long-standing sore that is yet to heel.

That humiliating ouster of a team of greats has triggered all kinds of emotions in Team India over the years – from revenge and wariness to alertness when facing this rising neighbour which was, till very recently, an associate colt of the game. All through this journey, Bangladesh has downed Team India whenever the opportunity came – in the last four ODIs, they have won thrice, including in the latest encounter during the Asia Cup.

This, despite the fact that two of the seven centuries Rohit Sharma has scored in World Cup history, have been against Bangladesh – one in 2015 and the other in 2019. The see-saw that has been symbolic of the India-Bangladesh contests can best be seen in the trajectory of the Indian skipper’s performance against them. If he has two effortless centuries against them in World Cups, he also has three ducks in ODIs outside of the World Cup, one as recent as the Asia Cup, to somehow shrug off his otherwise speckless performances with the bat.

In this edition of the home Cup, India are in scintillating form with the applause around bowling getting as loud as the batting sensations Team India has on its roll. Virat Kohli’s unbridled doggedness to chase down a difficult situation from the losing corner of the game against Australia and Kuldeep Yadav’s timely breakthrough to bring life back into the match against Pakistan are only some of the golden nuggets that will be firing up social media conversations.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, have not had a good outing in this edition, having lost two of their three matches played thus far, making a mark only against Afghanistan. Add to that the injury to their star performer Shakib-al-Hasan, a veteran of five World Cups and an IPL high performer, and the passionate tigers will certainly feel the heat against a sorted and peaking India who always have 2007 as a memory to keep their guard up against Bangladesh.

On paper, it all looks good for India. Out of the 40 contests the two have had, India has won 31 of them. But the eight victories that the Bangla boys have recorded have been the ones least expected and, thus, most hurtful.

The 42,700-capacity grand stadium at Pune, where the neighbours will meet tomorrow afternoon, meanwhile, has stands kissing the skies, weather that strives to be pleasant, a breeze that flirts with your mood, and a pitch that has the capacity to soak in, and propel many run fests. With Rohit Sharma, looking to score his third ton against Bangladesh, Virat Kohli setting sights on breaking the Sachin Tendulkar record, Shreyas Iyer in a battle to prove himself, and K L Rahul living it up in his comeback season, aggression will be in a happy mood in the Indian camp.

“If you look at this surface, it has been a good surface whether you play T20 or one day. As a bowling unit, it is a challenging surface. The ball comes on the bat very well. It is a small ground comparatively, so more boundaries will be scored, the sixers will be more,” India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said at the pre-match press conference here on Wednesday. Of course, there are Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, waiting to happen to Bangla happiness.