ICC World Cup 2019: Mashrafe Mortaza Quashes Fans Pressure To Win Against India

Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has played down the pressure of the fans to win against India. Mortaza said that it is natural to feel the pressure in the must-win encounter against the Indian team. Bangladesh has seven points under their bag after seven matches. The Tigers have won three matches whereas one match had ended in no result.

Thus, Bangladesh needs to win their remaining two matches to qualify for the semifinals. Bangladesh will need to be at the top of their game as they have matches against India and Pakistan.

On the other hand, Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza stated that there would be pressure on all the eleven players of both sides. Hence, the team which handles the pressure better will have a better chance of winning.

‘’No, I don’t think it’s psychological. It’s all about skill. Obviously, cricket is a psychological game,’’ said Mashrafe.

‘’Fans are doing whatever they are thinking, so I don’t think so in the middle, when we are playing, it’s helping us a lot because all the pressure has to be handled while our players are playing,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, India and Bangladesh have met thrice in the World Cup matches. India has savoured success on two occasions whereas Bangladesh had surprised India in the 2007 World Cup.

‘’So it depends on man to man, who will take the pressure. Obviously, there’s pressure in the field. It’s a good thing that people are supporting Bangladesh cricket team,’’ he said.

‘’Obviously, they want us to win, which is normal, I think. Obviously, Indian fans also supporting the Indian team, and they want to win. So it’s a normal thing. But I don’t think there’s a lot of pressure. The teams — those 11 players who play on the ground, in a difficult situation, they’ll feel the pressure,’’ he added.

The Tigers have made giant strides in the last five years and they would aim to be at their best against India. Bangladesh will face India at Edgbaston, Birmingham on 2nd July.