19 October,2023 08:35 AM IST | Pune | R Kaushik
India`s Shubman Gill during a practice session on the eve of their match against Bangladesh at the MCA Stadium in Pune yesterday. Pic/AFP
Recent history would seem to suggest that Bangladesh have become somewhat of a bogey team for India, a perception Rohit Sharma's men will be keen to correct on Thursday. Since last December, when they travelled east for a full series, India have lost three of four One-Day Internationals to Bangladesh, including at the Asia Cup in Colombo last month. Who will read how much into that is open to question. What is not, is that while India are aware of that record, they aren't conscious about it, nor will revenge be uppermost on their minds when the teams stack up at the MCA International Stadium.
India are sitting on a three-match winning streak, having thrown down the gauntlet with a hat-trick of stirring victories. After a nervy start against Australia, they have been an unstoppable force, Rohit Sharma's bludgeoning willow building on the exceptional work of the bowling group which has grown fangs since the return of Jasprit Bumrah.
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Bangladesh have tapered away after defeating Afghanistan in their opener. Heavy defeats to England and New Zealand have dented their hopes but maybe they will be energised at the sight of India. They have run India close in World Cup games of both varieties in the last few years, starting with the T20 World Cup fixture in Bangalore in 2016 when they threw away a winning position and settled for a heartbreaking one-run loss.
They aren't unaware that man for man, India are comfortably the stronger outfit. But if they need inspiration, they needn't look beyond their skipper, Shakib Al Hasan, and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim, who plotted India's sensational downfall in the corresponding tournament in the Caribbean in 2007. There were some question marks over Shakib's availability, reports indicated he had sustained a quadricep injury. But he batted for nearly an hour on Tuesday and went through fielding drills unhindered and is almost certain to walk out for the toss with Rohit. Shakib has been a thorn in India's side several times in the past and will look to reprise some of those heroics to haul his side back into contention.
The first game of the World Cup at this venue could produce runs galore. Pune lies 1,840 feet above sea level, the surface has the not-unfounded reputation of facilitating attacking stroke-play and the boundaries aren't terribly long. All of these indicate that like in the last two matches, India could stick with Shardul Thakur at No. 8, though a case can still be made for the value of having experienced off-spinner R Ashwin in the mix. Shubman Gill, who returned to action against Pakistan, had a long hit on Wednesday afternoon, seeking to rediscover the touch that has netted him five hundreds and nearly 1,250 ODI runs this calendar year.
