India welcomes Bangladesh for a men’s ODI on their home ground for the first time since 1998. The two teams are set to face off in Pune in a much-anticipated Cricket World Cup match.
Match 17: Bangladesh Chooses to Bat First Against India After Winning Toss
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh’s interim captain, won the toss and decided to bat first, banking on the fresh Pune pitch to favor the batsmen. His Indian counterpart, Rohit Sharma, expressed that he would have preferred to field first.
Nasum Ahmed was brought in to replace the injured captain Shakib Al Hasan for Bangladesh, while Hasan Mahmud stepped in for Taskin Ahmed.
The Indian team is aiming for a fourth straight win and a climb back to the top of the Cricket World Cup leaderboard after an impressive start to their campaign.
Despite a promising start with a victory over Afghanistan, Bangladesh has faced challenges with consecutive matches against the previous tournament’s finalists, England and New Zealand.
A third consecutive loss would put Bangladesh in a precarious position in the race for a top-four finish. However, they have shown strong recent form against India, having won a nail-biting final-over match in the Super Four stage of the recent Asia Cup.
In the absence of regular captain Shakib, who scored 80 runs in the first innings of that match, Bangladesh will need to step up their game.
Indian opener Shubman Gill, who scored a century in the reply of that match, is expected to make a significant impact after recovering from illness and returning to the line-up for the recent Cricket World Cup match against Pakistan.
Rohit Sharma (217 runs) and Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli (156 runs) are already among the top run-scorers at the Cricket World Cup 2023.
Jasprit Bumrah has made a strong comeback after a back injury, taking eight wickets and emerging as India’s primary bowling threat at the Cricket World Cup.
India’s spin attack features Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, who have both taken five wickets at the tournament so far, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya.