How Can Bangladesh Defeat India In World Cup 2023?

image-lnvjxw8aShakib Al Hasan will have to play a big role with bat and ball (AP Photos)

The World Cup 2023 in a cricket crazy nation like India is turning out to be quite an enthralling journey with two big upsets already. India will now take on Bangladesh in Pune and with Bangla Tigers desperately in need of a win, they would be itching to make a statement with a win against the hosts and the favourites, India.

However, it won't be an easy task to topple an in-form Indian team who have been pretty dominant in the tournament so far. Cricket though is a game of uncertainty and one can never rule out any team, especially Bangladesh who have the experience and arsenal to excel in subcontinent conditions.

So, what can Bangladesh do to defeat India in big World Cup match at Pune?

Test India's batting by putting total in excess of 300 on the board

India have chased in all three games so far and their bowlers have done brilliantly by restricting opposition teams to a below-par total. This has given extra cushion to Indian batters and has allowed them to play freely and without any scoreboard pressure in all the games. 

However, if there is a scoreboard pressure on Indian batters, they can be put under pressure and could be made to play false shots by some disciplined bowling. Bangladesh's bowling is their stronger suit, so if their batting can click against a strong team like India, their bowling with great mixture of spin and pace can surprise India in Pune. 

Get Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Early 

India have notched up three wins in as many games so far and in two of those games, Rohit Sharma has made batting look ridiculously easy. He slammed a century against Afghanistan while against Pakistan it was his 86, that stole the show again. 

In the opening game of India's campaign, it was Virat kohli who scored a brilliant 86 under pressure after India's top order crumbled and going by the recent record, we have seen India crumbling in big games when both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli depart early. India's last loss in ODIs came against Australia in the bilateral series and in that game too, India could not deal with the big scoreboard pressure when both Kohli and Rohit departed early.

Bring in left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed against right-hand dominant Indian batting line-up

Bangladesh have good spin-bowling options in their arsenal and that is the reason why they could bat Mahmudullah at number 8 against New Zealand in the last game. However, against India who have all right-handers in their top six, they can bring in a left-arm spinner in place of struggling Towhid Hridoy. 

Nasum Ahmed is one quality left-arm spinner and he could be handy against Indian batters who tend to struggle against left-arm spin. Virat Kohli has been dismissed 8 times by left-arm spinners since 2022 in 12 innings he has faced them. So, adding Nasum Ahmed in place of an extra batter could be a good option and along with Shakib Al Hasan, he can play a crucial role against a confident and a strong side like India.