India's top 5 run-scorers against Bangladesh in ODI World Cups ft. Virat Kohli and Sourav Ganguly
It's upset season in the 2023 World Cup and India can be pardoned for being a tiny bit scared of Bangladesh when they play against them in Pune on Thursday.
The first time India faced their eastern neighbors in an ODI World Cup was in 2007 when they were shocked with a five-wicket defeat. The tremors went far and wide, eventually leading to an embarrassing group-stage blowout for the Rahul Dravid-led team. They were welcomed back home with burning effigies of players and coaches.
At that time, it was a bigger moment in the sport's history than Afghanistan's thrashing of England in Delhi or the Netherlands comeback win over South Africa.
However, since then, India have had a clear upper hand in the contest. They have won three out of three matches - in 2011, 2015, and 2019 - comprehensively. No match has been proper run-fests, and the bowling lineups from either side have made most of the difference.
Still, we have seen some good performances. Let's recall a few of them by looking at India's top-five run-scorers against Bangladesh in the World Cup:
#5 Sourav Ganguly - 66 runs
Former skipper and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly was one of the only two batters who put up a fight in that 2007 defeat. Seeing wickets fall thick and fast from the other end, he dropped anchor almost immediately and hit just four boundaries in his 129-ball knock for 66 runs.
After a top-order collapse saw India reeling at 72/4, he put up an 85-run stand with Yuvraj Singh. But once the latter got out, Ganguly tried to charge and hit Mohammad Rafique out of the park. The wily left-arm spinner saw him coming and shortened his length, making him mistime a pull to mid-wicket.
He never played against Bangladesh in the World Cup again but those 66 runs still make him the fifth-highest run-getter against them.
#4 KL Rahul - 77 runs
Much like Ganguly, it only took one innings for KL Rahul to make the list. This one came in the 2019 World Cup, a few matches after the wicketkeeper-batter had to replace injured Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order. Although that injury is often cited as one of the reasons for India's semi-final exit, Rahul did a good job as an opener.
India needed a comeback against Bangladesh after a big 31-run defeat to England in the previous match. Rohit Sharma started brilliantly from the other end and Rahul quickly submitted to a second-fiddle role.
Rahul picked three bowlers - Saifuddin, Masharafe Mortaza, and Rubel Hossain - and took them at his pace, leaving everyone else alone. At one point he looked like he had gotten a bit too into his shell with Rohit's aggression from the other end.
Eventually, a slower one from Rubel had his name on it and he got caught behind for 77.
#3 Virat Kohli - 129 runs
Virat Kohli has played the most World Cup matches against Bangladesh in this list because he was there for all three of India's wins from 2011 to 2019. His first knock in the World Cup also came against Bangladesh, which also became his first century in the showpiece event.
At the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka in their campaign opener of the 2011 World Cup, he came to bat at No. 4 and scored a quickfire 83-ball unbeaten 100, including eight fours and two sixes. With Virender Sehwag smashing it all around the park on the other end too, the duo put up a big show.
He got out cheaply in both the 2015 and 2019 editions, though, scoring 3 (8) and 26 (27), respectively. But that century means he's the third on this list with 129 runs at an average of 64.50.
#2 Virender Sehwag - 177 runs
Virender Sehwag's 175-run knock overshadowed Kohli's century completely and rightly so. He faced the first ball of the 2011 World Cup and started it in typical fashion - a cracking cut through the covers against Shafiul Islam.
Sehwag picked up an injury in the middle of the knock and got a runner in Gautam Gambhir but perhaps the last thing in mind was to stop. He smashed 14 boundaries and five sixes to reach the highest ODI score at the time.
It was also the highest individual score in the opening game of a World Cup and the highest score by any batter in any ODI against Bangladesh.
It took India's score to 370/4 which they defended with a margin of 87 runs, completing a revenge of the 2007 defeat. In that match, Sehwag could only score 2 (6) and the 175 took his overall score against Bangladesh to 177.
#1 Rohit Sharma - 241 runs
Indian captain Rohit Sharma is already considered as an ODI great but he takes his game to another level in the ODI World Cups, where he has hit seven centuries.
Two of them have come against Bangladesh - in 2015 and in 2019. In 2015, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), he slammed 137 off 126 balls with the aid of 14 fours and three sixes, helping India reach 302/6. That was his only ton of the edition.
In 2019, at Edgbaston, he scored 104 off 92, with seven fours and five sixes, which was his fourth century of the tournament.
With 241 runs in two matches at an average of over 125, he is India's and overall top run-scorer against Bangladesh in ODI World Cups.