India will Come With Full Strength Side Against Bangladesh at Pune
The Cricket World Cup 2023 has already seen three unexpected upsets. With defending champions England suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of Afghanistan and the Netherlands surprising South Africa has become a warning sign for other teams. India, despite being in formidable form, is determined not to join the list of victims of these upsets as they face Bangladesh.
India, who have kicked off their World Cup campaign with three consecutive victories, are leaving nothing to chance on game day. One significant decision they’ve made is to avoid rotating their bowlers, opting for consistency and maintaining the winning momentum. This choice has been firmly backed by the team’s bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey.
Mhambrey emphasized that the Indian team does not underestimate any of their opponents in the World Cup. “When you enter a World Cup, every team will pose you a challenge,” he stated. “From our perspective, I don’t think we’ll take any team lightly – that’s the discussion we had.”
Even though India has quality bowlers like Mohammed Shami and Ravichandran Ashwin waiting in the wings, they have stuck with a winning combination. Mhambrey acknowledged that selecting the playing XI is never an easy decision to make on team’s side.
He explained, “Whenever we select a squad, the message from us is very clear – we pick a squad we feel is the best for that wicket.” Ravichandran Ashwin played his first game of CWC 23 against India at Chennai but team has opted to go with an extra batter since then.
The return of seamer Jasprit Bumrah from a back injury has been instrumental in India’s early success. Mhambrey praised Bumrah’s versatility, describing him as a game-changer. “He gives you that breakthrough you require in the power plays, he’s well-adapted to bowl in the middle overs, and he’s a top death bowler. I think in that sense, we really missed him.”
With their focus on maintaining their winning start, India is resolute in not considering bowler rotation at this stage. Mhambrey made it clear, “As of now, there is no discussion about rotation from our point of view. I think it is important to carry this momentum for the next game as well.”
India will face Bangladesh at Pune on October 19. It will be a key match for both teams as India doesn’t want to lose its moment, on the other hand, Bangladesh wants to put a challenging performance against the hosts. Last times these two sides met, Bangladesh handed a defeat to India in Asia Cup 2023.
