India team are off to the dream start in the ICC World Cup 2023. With the way they have played, they have become a team to beat in the tournament. They started the tournament with a resounding win against Australia and then thumped Afghanistan and Pakistan by a big margin to make it three out of three. The focus now shifts towards their fourth game, which will be played against Bangladesh on Thursday (19th September).
ICC World Cup 2023: India Playing 11 for the game against Bangladesh In Pune
Although India has won three games in the ICC World Cup 2023 but Bangladesh will be a big challenge for them. Their record against them of late hasn’t been great as they just had one win against them in the last four encounters.
India would be aware of that and would be hoping to turn things around this time in the ICC World Cup. Coming to the playing the XI, there’s no doubt that skipper Rohit Sharma along with Shubman Gill will open the innings in the IND vs BAN game.
Rohit Sharma has been in terrific form in the ongoing tournament. After bagging a duck against Sri Lanka, he smashed a blistering century against Afghanistan and followed it up with 86 against Pakistan. On the other hand, Shubman Gill recovered from dengue and looked in good touch against Pakistan.
Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer are no doubt expected to bat at No.3 and No.4 against Bangladesh. Both the batters have looked in great touch in the ICC World Cup 2023. While Kohli smashed two half-centuries in the first two games, Iyer blasted an unbeaten fifty against Pakistan.
KL Rahul since coming back from injury has looked a different beast altogether. There’s no brainer that he will keep the wickets and bat at No.5 against Bangladesh. He won India the game against Australia in a tough situation and would be vital for India in the rest of the tournament.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will be the two all-rounders in the team. They have done an exceptional job with the ball in the tournament. They haven’t done much with the bat but are expected to play a huge role as the tournament progresses.
Shardul Thakur might have to face the axe for the game against Bangladesh. Mohammad Shami or R Ashwin might replace him in the team depending on the conditions. Thakur hasn’t performed well and has leaked runs as well.
Kuldeep Yadav will be there as the spin bowling partner along with Ravindra Jadeja. He has been India’s trump card in the tournament and would be hoping to continue his good run. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are expected to be the two pacers. They have been exceptional in the last few games.
Here’s India’s XI for the game against Bangladesh protection
Rohit Sharma (c)
Shubman Gill
Virat Kohli
Shreyas Iyer
KL Rahul (wk)
Hardik Pandya
Ravindra Jadeja
R Ashwin/ Mohammad Shami
Kuldeep Yadav
Jasprit Bumrah
Mohammed Siraj
ICC World Cup 2023: 2 Indian players to watch out for against Bangladesh
One of the key Indian players to watch out for against Bangladesh will be young Shubman Gill. He will be eager to make a statement as he missed the first two games of the ICC World Cup 2023 due to dengue. He scored 16 runs against Pakistan but with the way he times the ball, it didn’t look like he was out of action. He is the leading run-getter this year in ODIs and will be one of the key performers going into the game against Bangladesh.
Read Also: Kuldeep Yadav Becomes Fastest Indian to take 50 T20I Wickets
Another player he will be under the spotlight against Bangladesh would be Kuldeep Yadav. The leg-spinner has looked unplayable in the tournament. He along with taking wickets has also been economical. With Pune wicket being good for spinners, he’s likely to play the key role.