Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes that their side can beat the high-flying Indian side if they manage to perform to their full potential in the game on Thursday. The Bangla Tigers would be looking to get their World Cup campaign right on track after back-to-back losses in the marquee event.
India is currently on a winning streak and has won all three of their games during this World Cup. They easily trounced Pakistan by seven wickets in their previous game, and they’ll be going for four straight victories. On the other hand, in their first three tournament games, Bangladesh has only won once losing their next two games against England and New Zealand.
Speaking to the media ahead of their clash against India, Chandika Hathurusingha sounded confident of doing well against India if they perform well against the host nation in Pune given the track record against the Men In Blue in recent times having beaten them in the Asia Cup 2023 and wanted to start well against the Indian team to get a right momentum in the game.
“We have had success in the recent past against India, but then when you come to the World Cup it’s a very different game altogether. As I said, we are hoping that we will have a complete game against them, that we need to perform to our potential and India is probably the in-form team this World Cup, and if they have not so good game and if we play too our potential.
“I think it’s going to be a good game for us and we are capable of doing that. We have proved that confidence and that memory are going to serve us well to start [well] at the start. So, we need to start well,” Chandika Hathurusingha said.
In an ODI series earlier this year, Bangladesh defeated India 2-1. In their most recent meeting, which took place in the Asia Cup in September, the Tigers claimed a narrow 6-run victory over India as a consolation win after being eliminated from the competition early and they would look to put up a show to win the contest in Pune.
I Think Fingers Crossed, We Are Due For One Of Those Days – Chandika Hathurusingha
Chandika Hathurusingha asserted that his side has a specific plan and strategy for India and that they will likely employ a different combination according to the wicket as well as the opposition admitting to the point they haven’t been successful using both the ball and the bat.
“We haven’t put up a complete batting performance, or to that matter, complete performance with the ball and bat so far. So, we are expected to do a complete performance.
“And we know that when we play as a team and we perform to our capabilities and we have beat big teams. We have done well in the past. So, I think fingers crossed, we are due for one of those days,” Chandika Hathurusingha added.
Shakib Al Hasan‘s recovery from injury is currently uncertain for the crucial game against India. Bangladesh has not yet indicated if his left quadriceps injury would exclude him from the forthcoming match and the team will be hopeful of having him for the game given his experiences in the Indian conditions.
