IND vs BAN: World Cup history in favour of India in brewing Bangladesh rivalry

India vs Bangladesh has been a rivalry that has been brewing over the past few years as the two-time World Champions have found the Bangla Tigers to be a tough nut to crack in recent times.

The recent record for India against Bangladesh, after the 2019 World Cup, hasn’t been a good one. In the four matches played by both teams in the 50-over format after the World Cup in England, Bangladesh have beaten India three times, with the latest coming in the Asia Cup 2023.

While the losses have all gone down to the wire, it isn’t a pleasant record to carry into an important clash in the ongoing World Cup 2023. The Indian team has momentum behind them after their commanding win over Pakistan and have a perfect record in the tournament so far.

Bangladesh haven’t had the best of times in the tournament, having won just one of their three matches. The setting is perfect for a cracking game in Pune, but the World Cup history surely favours the Indian team heading into the contest.

2007: An upset for the ages

The 2007 World Cup in the Carribean is one that all Indian cricket team fans would like to forget. The team was knocked out in the group stages and all of it started with a loss to Bangladesh in the opening match.

Having won the toss and opted to bat first, the Indian batting order crumbled as Mashrafe Mortaza wrecked havoc and picked up four wickets for 38 runs. India would fold for just 191 runs.

Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan hit fifties as Bangladesh scripted a memorable win with five wickets left to announce their arrival in the tournament and upset the apple cart.

2011: Sehwag bats Bangla Tigers into submission

Once again, it was the opening match for India and the opponents were Bangladesh. However, this time, the story wouldn’t be the same. Virender Sehwag took it upon himself to banish the demons of 2007 with a blistering knock of 175 and had a young and upcoming Virat Kohli for company. The duo put the Bangladeshi bowlers to the sword in Mirpur as Kohli would score his maiden World Cup hundred as well.

Despite Tamim and Shakib’s best efforts, India would win the match by 87 runs to start their campaign in the best possible way and end it with the World Cup title in the bag.

2015: Rohit Sharma makes his arrival on WC stage

Rohit Sharma started his fine run against Bangladesh in the World Cups in 2015 as he hit a 126-ball 137 to help India post 302 runs in their 50 overs in the quarterfinal of the 2015 World Cup.

Rohit got support from Suresh Raina, whose 65 was crucial for India on the day as the likes of Virat Kohli failed to make an impact.

In response, Bangladesh struggled to find any rhythm with their batting as Umesh Yadav picked up four wickets as the Bangla Tigers were bundled out for 193 as India entered the semi-finals with a big win.

2019: Rohit haunts Bangladesh once again

Rohit was at the peak of his powers during the 2019 World Cup and unfortunately for Bangladesh, they faced India at the wrong time. The opener would hit a fantastic 104 off 92 deliveries and received support from KL Rahul as India posted 314 runs in their 50 overs.

Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals as Jasprit Bumrah picked up four. The efforts of Shakib and Mohammad Saiffudin weren’t enough in the end as India won by 28 runs to make it 3-1 against Bangladesh in World Cups,

2023: Will India make it 4-1?

The form guide is in favour of India at the moment as they do look solid in all departments of the game. Bangladesh will need inspiration from one of their players to step up and ensure that they can keep their semi-final hopes alive and cause another upset on the grand stage.

With so much in the balance, fans in Pune can expect a classic clash on Thursday, October 19 at the Maharastra Cricket Association stadium.