ICC World Cup 2015: India vs Bangladesh - 5 things to look forward to

An unbeaten Indian side will be facing a spirited challenge from their Eastern neighbours Bangladesh at the MCG on Thursday. While Bangladesh have shown that they won’t allow big teams to steamroll them, India have gone about doing their job, never getting intimidated by any opposition. It’s like the battle between David and Goliath, only that anyone can win on the given day.Here are five things to look forward to from the quarter-final clash:

#1 Weather

There is rain forecasted in Melbourne for the major part of the evening tomorrow and hence, the team winning the toss will have the possibility of a reduced target firmly in its plans. According to the MET, there’ll be intermittent rain in the city starting sometime around 6 pm. This makes the toss extremely crucial. In case of a washout, the ICC has kept a reserve day in the form of the 20th, and the good news is that there is no rain forecasted for that day.

#2 Ground Realities

When Bangladesh last played in Melbourne, against Sri Lanka in a Pool A World Cup match last month, their batsmen had huge difficulties in acclimatising themselves with the large boundaries and the field dimensions. The fact that they fielded poorly and dropped many catches in that game has spurred the team management into opting for course correction this time: a major chunk of the Bangladesh training has been focused on catching in the deep and cutting off the angles through which batsmen score.

Unless the rain alters the surface, the pitch is expected to be good for batting. However, don’t write-off the importance of spinners in the middle overs.

#3 Rohit Sharma vs Detractors

Much like Quinton de Kock of South Africa before today’s game, Rohit Sharma hasn’t set the field on fire with his batting during the World Cup. Coming into the tournament on the back of a fine century during the Carlton Mid Tri Series, it was expected of Rohit to take the bulk of the scoring responsibilities.

But as fate would have it, he has failed to convert his starts, with his partner Shikhar Dhawan hogging all the limelight. This has given fodder to Rohit’s detractors, who argue that the Mumbai batsmen hasn’t scored on important occasions. Another failure against a lower ranked team might just compound his woes.

#4 The Class of 2007

On 17th of March, 2007, at Port of Spain – when Bangladesh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of one-day cricket, the world cricketing establishment got shaken. Playing their part in that 5-wicket win against the subcontinental giants were four Bangladeshi players who are part of the current Bangladesh squad.

Back then, Tamim Iqbal was responsible for the initial attack – taking apart Zaheer Khan and Co, Mushfiqur Rahim followed suit and Shakib Al Hasan landed the killer punch in Bangladesh’s chase of 192.

Earlier in that match, Mashrafe Mortaza, the current captain, had broken the backbone of the famed Indian batting line-up with 4 wickets. Today, all four remain pivotal players in the Bangladesh set-up and, along with Rubel Hossain and Mahmadullah, will be expected to lead their country to glory.

But the more important question is – can they?

#5 Mohammed Shami\'s bowling

Having spent a large part of his life playing cricket in Kolkata, Mohammed Shami would know quite a bit of Bangla. So when the Bangladeshi batsmen discuss plans of tackling him mid-pitch, trust Shami to gather as much.

Leading the Indian fast-bowling outfit, Shami has been a revelation during the World Cup. He now has 15 wickets, joint second in the competition with some of the finest bowlers that the world has produced. When he steps out on to the field at Melbourne, he will be reminded of another colosseum back home; add to that the absence of a five-wicket haul in his ODI career, there are motivations galore for India’s premier pacer.

A five-for in a quarter-final game against the team from opar Bangla would be an ideal way to bring joy to the lives of millions watching the game at home.