World Cup 2015 QF 2 India vs Bangladesh Preview; Inspired Bangladesh against Confident India

World Cup 2015 QF 2 India vs Bangladesh Preview; Inspired Bangladesh against Confident India:

Date:19 March 2015       Time: 0900 IST

Venue: Melbourne

India

India topped the Group B, winning all of their matches to enter the quarter-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup. They will face Bangladesh, who finished fourth in Group A, in the quarter-final match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.

Bowling wise India is the only side in the competition to have dismissed the opposition on all six occasions. India’s pace attack comprising of Mohd. Shami, the run blocking Mohit Sharma and sped demon, has shown tremendous improvement after a dismal show against in the tri-series preceding the World Cup. Also, purely in terms of the comprehensiveness of victories, India is currently the best side in the tournament. India’s spinners R.Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have also contributed immensely in keeping the runs low in the crucial middle overs between the power plays. The combo of Ashwin, Mohit and Shami have ensured that India don’t leak many runs in that crucial period of play and also control the innings in the last 15 overs or so.

Batting wise India are golden as far as form of the top and middle order is concerned. They will however hope to have Rohit Sharma back in form.  Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni are looking good with the bat. More importantly, the fielding has been top class by the Indians. In short, everything is going right for them at the moment.

Road to quarterfinals

India ( Won 6, Lost 0, Tie 0)

1. Beat Pakistan by 76 runs

2. Beat South Africa by 130 runs

3. Beat United Arab Emirates by 9 wickets

4. Beat West Indies by 4 wickets

5. Beat Ireland by 8 wickets

6. Beat Zimbabwe by 6 wickets

Bangladesh

The strength behind Bangladesh has been in the collective effort they have put in at the tournament without relying on a single player, like past Bangla teams. Bangladesh adapted and excelled in what we’re supposed to be alien conditions for the Tigers, in every game apart from their match against Sri Lanka. Even when they lost to the in-form New Zealand, they came very close to snatching a victory from them. While their biggest win in the World Cup against England could be considered better than their win over India nearly 8 years ago as this took them to the knockout stages for the first time in the country’s history.

Their success has been dependent on the experience of Captain Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib-al-Hasan and Mishfiqur Rahim, Taskin Ahmed’s swing and Rubel Hossain’s pace which has done this team a world of good. The supporting roles played by Sabbir Rahman, Tamim Iqbal, Arafat Sunny cannot be ignored as they were also important in Bangladesh qualifying.

In their victory against England they have found a new batting hero in Mahmudullah, who has scored 344 runs in the group stages with back to back centuries against England and New Zealand. Tamim Iqbal, Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim were expected to do well with the bat and stack up the runs on the board. Shakib and Rahim have provided substantial support to make for the lack of runs at the top of the batting order, despite Tamim Iqbal’s start and stop form.

But they face a team in India which has not lost a single game in group stages and has players which are in top form. Last time Bangladesh beat India in World Cup was in 2007. India is a completely different team this time with form and experience with them of success in the World Cup. Bangladesh will hope that they could show the same spirit and form they showed against England and make India succumb to the pressure like England did. But unlike England, Indian batting is in superlative form with Kohli, Dhawan and Raina hitting centuries and Dhoni, Rohit and Rahane hitting 50s in the group stages.

Bangladesh can only do their best and hope for the result to be in their favour on their day.

Road to quarterfinals

Bangladesh (Won 3, Lost 2, Tie 1)

1. Beat Afghanistan by 105 runs

2. Match abandoned

3. Lost to Sri Lanka by 92 runs

4. Beat Scotland by 6 wickets

5. Beat England by 15 runs

6. Lost to New Zealand by 3 wickets

Possible Playing XI:

India: MS Dhoni (C/WK), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma

Bangladesh: Masrafe Bin Mortaza (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mominul Hoque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain,Arafat Sunny.