Port of Spain. World Cup 2007. Mushfiqur Rahim was on the verge of engraving his name in the annals of Bangladesh cricket as the one who provided the finishing touches to a famous win against India. He did in style, essaying a square drive. Alongside Rahim, that side also had his long-standing teammate, Shakib Al Hasan.
It is remarkable that 16 years later, the two are still the mainstays of the set-up, as Bangladesh gear up to take on an in-form Indian side in another World Cup match. The experienced duo, however, would know that Bangladesh face an uphill task. India seem to have turned into a Ferrari on an expressway, with all the parts functioning smoothly.
Jasprit Bumrah, the pace spearhead, Kuldeep Yadav, the spin spearhead, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the batting trump cards, KL Rahul, the wicketkeeper-bat — the hosts seem to have almost all bases covered. To make it even better, Shubman Gill has recovered from dengue.
Against Pakistan, India put on an exhibition of all their heavy artillery as they romped home by seven wickets. The only conundrum is perhaps surrounding the selection of Shardul Thakur over R Ashwin. Whoever plays, Bangladesh will have to raise their game by a couple of notches.
Rahim has composed a couple of fifties so far. Litton Das, Najmul Shanto and Mehidy Hasan have reached that mark once each. Litton, though, came under scrutiny for trying to be ultra-aggressive while facing the first ball of the game versus New Zealand. The onus will be on the opener and Shakib to find their groove in Pune.
With the track expected to offer more of an even bounce, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman also have to match India’s pace-bowling stocks. Incidentally, these two have picked up only four wickets combined. Shoriful Islam, the left-arm pace bowler, has slightly better returns, having bagged five wickets.
As far as the prediction goes, the Indian juggernaut is expected to continue. Or is there a small window for a couple of experienced cricketers to leave a mark on the game and upset the applecart?
Time and Venue Details
India versus Bangladesh, 2.00 PM. Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
Expected Conditions
In the last five ODIs at this ground, three teams batting first posted 300-plus scores. In 2021, when India played England, there was some seam movement at night. As per the forecast, rains aren’t expected to play spoilsport.
Possible XIs
Bangladesh: There is uncertainty surrounding Shakib’s fitness. The Bangladesh skipper has been laid low by a quadriceps injury. Bangladesh might also want to bolster their bowling attack.
Tanzid Hasan, Litton Das, Najmul Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahmudullah, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.
India: The home side could pick an unchanged XI.
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
Match-ups
Gill & Iyer vs spinners: Gill averages a tick over 100 versus spin in the last couple of years in ODIs. Shreyas Iyer is known to dominate spinners, especially finger-spin. In the recent past, the Pune pitch hasn’t been kind to spinners. It would be interesting to see what kind of tactics Bangladesh’s spinners employ against the likes of Gill and Iyer.
Match Speak
We will assess Shakib Al Hasan tomorrow. If he’s not 100% fit then we will not risk him.
Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh coach
When you enter a World Cup, every team will pose you a challenge. I don’t think we’ll take anyone lightly.
Paras Mhambrey, India’s bowling coach