India vs Bangladesh Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2023 World Cup match?
The tournament favorites have experienced a few hiccups already in the 2023 World Cup. England have been toppled by Afghanistan; South Africa looked like a fearsome force until they met their continual nemesis in the Netherlands; Australia haven't looked like themselves at all.
Apart from New Zealand, if there's one team that have braved "upsets" to brush aside their oppositions, it's India. The Men in Blue haven't looked back since being reduced to 2/3 in the opening game, with wins over Australia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan decorating their rise to the top two spots.
Despite their dominance, India aren't at the summit. That is reserved for the Kiwis, who have made it four out of four in convincing fashion to present Rohit Sharma and company someone to chase.
India will have the chance to do just that in Pune on Thursday when they face off against Bangladesh. The Tigers have had a positive run against their Asian neighbors lately, but those matches were at home and didn't have the context of a World Cup.
This game will be different; India's performances ever since the World Cup started have been characterized by ruthless efficiency. But Bangladesh still have the firepower to push India to the limit and perhaps steal a couple of points from them.
World Cup 2023: India look to keep pace with table-topping Kiwis
Bangladesh are sweating over the fitness of captain Shakib Al Hasan, who is dealing with a quadriceps injury and is facing a race against time to make the grade for the encounter. Without their premier left-arm spinner and arguably the most important player, the Tigers will find it next to impossible to challenge India.
The blueprint to a Bangladesh victory would involve wickets in the powerplay. Rohit Sharma has been in scintillating form of late, and if they don't get him early, the match could be over far sooner than expected. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli won't be easy to counter, either.
While there is a slight chance of that happening, India should be able to handle anything Bangladesh throw at them. Their bowling attack looks like it can easily pick up 10 wickets on any day, and the visitors' batting hasn't looked all that convincing at any stage in the recent past.
While this World Cup has already hosted a couple of unprecedented results, India should be able to stay unbeaten.
Prediction: India to win Match 17 of the 2023 World Cup.