ICC World Cup 2019: Match 40, India vs Bangladesh – Match Preview

Bangladesh’s chances of progressing to the semifinals in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019 hang by the wire when they face India on July 2 (Tuesday) at Edgbaston in Birmingham. The Tigers are currently at seven points from an equal number of games to keep themselves floating in the tournament.

Bangladesh batters have done an outstanding job so far in the World Cup. They have crossed three 300-run mark with Shakib Al Hasan leading the pack. However, it is their bowling which has led them down failing to match with the quality of their batting. The Mashfare Mortaza-led side will look to come out as a unit and play their best cricket of this tournament to pose a challenge to team India. Veteran cricketer Mahmudullah’s fitness, which was a matter of concern before Bangladesh’s break but has had some practice ahead of the game, which should ease their nerves.

On the other hand, India’s 31-run defeat against host England have raised questions on their batting. The batting has not looked good in the last three games with the top-order failing and thus putting additional pressure on the middle order. Moreover, the middle order has also failed to show any intent of scoring quick runs, which can force a ring of changes in the next game against Bangladesh. India will aim to emerge victorious and be the second team and be the second to book a semifinal berth.

Date and Venue: India vs Bangladesh, July 2 (Tuesday) at 3:00 PM IST, Edgbaston in Birmingham

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: Put KL Rahul Under Pressure, Not MS Dhoni – Sanjay Manjrekar

Predicted Playing XI

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mustafizur Rahman

World Cup Head to Head

Statistical Preview

1.  Mashrafe Mortaza is two wickets away to become the first Bangladesh ODI captain to pick up 100 wickets.
2. Tamim Iqbal needs four more runs to become the second Bangladesh batsman after Mushfiqur Rahim to score 1,000 international runs against India.
3. Virat Kohli needs 31 runs to complete 1000 runs in the World Cup. He will be the third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly to achieve the feat.
4. Mohammed Shami needs two more wickets to leapfrog Anil Kumble (31 wickets) in the list of most World Cup wickets by an Indian.
5. Jasprit Bumrah is five wickets away from completing his 100 ODI wickets.
6.  Indian medium-pacer Hardik Pandya has taken 49 wickets in 51 ODIs. He needs only one more wicket to complete his 50th ODI wicket.

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

Pitch Conditions

It is going to be the same one that hosted the India-England game. It will once again be a flat wicket but will slow down as the game progresses eventually favouring the team to opt to bat first after winning the toss. The shorter boundary will also be a concern as Virat Kohli didn’t seem pleased at all after the defeat against England.

Weather Conditions

The weather in Edgbaston is likely to be sunny and dry on Tuesday morning, but the clouds will possibly build up and spread during the afternoon. However, the conditions will continue to remain bright and dry throughout the day.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2019: Match 40, India vs Bangladesh – India’s Predicted Playing XI

Match Prediction

India have been a dominant side whenever both teams have played against each other. So far in the World Cups, they have met thrice with India’s only defeat coming against Bangladesh during the 2007 World Cup. Both the camps have had their ups and down in the tournament so far, but they will look to put their all in a must-win encounter on Tuesday at Edgbaston.

But going by India’s experience in these crunch situations and sheer presence of match-winners will give them a kickstart ahead of Bangladesh in a crucial World Cup game for both the sides.