"If you lose here as well, it will be a bumpy ride ahead" - Aakash Chopra on England's World Cup 2023 clash vs Bangladesh
Aakash Chopra feels England will have a tough road ahead in World Cup 2023 if they suffer a defeat in their clash against Bangladesh.
The two sides will lock horns in a day game in Dharamsala on Tuesday, October 10. The defending champions were annihilated by New Zealand by nine wickets in the tournament opener and will want to get back to winning ways.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that a reversal against Bangladesh will leave England with an arduous task ahead. He said:
"England have lost their first match and Bangladesh won their first match but Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan and England have come here after losing to New Zealand. You have slipped against New Zealand and if you lose here as well, it will be a bumpy ride ahead."
The former Indian opener feels the usual conditions in Dharamsala will be right up England's alley. He added:
"The pitch that used to be there in Dharamsala will help both England's bowlers and batters. The ball will come nicely onto the bat. It is a small ground but it will be interesting to see how they play."
Chopra expects England to post a mammoth score in favorable batting conditions. He elaborated:
"The Dharamsala pitch looked extremely flat in the last match. It is still a day match, so there won't be any issues with the dew. I feel England will play well here. They might post a massive total like 350-375."
Chopra acknowledged that Bangladesh have a decent bowling lineup in the form of Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. However, he feels Jos Buttler and Co. will be at their aggressive best in Tuesday's game.
"It doesn't look like they are a team full of superstars but they have the ability to become a superstar team" - Aakash Chopra on Bangladesh
![Bangladesh registered a convincing win in their World Cup opener against Afghanistan. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/10/0089d-16969074029464-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Bangladesh can spring a surprise, stating:
"Bangladesh, on the other hand, had a good last match. Everything went well. Shakib and Mehidy picked up wickets, and Mehidy and (Najmul Hossain) Shanto scored runs. If Litton Das also scores runs, it is a very decent side. It doesn't look like they are a team full of superstars but they have the ability to become a superstar team."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by expressing hope of a closely fought encounter between the two sides. He said:
"So I am expecting a slightly interesting match. We have had all one-sided matches thus far. It seemed like the India match would be close as you were 2/3 but you still won by six wickets and almost 10 overs were left."
Bangladesh defeated England by 15 runs in the 2015 World Cup to knock them out of the tournament. England avenged that defeat with a 106-run thrashing of Bangladesh en route to the 2019 World Cup title and will want to dish out another dominating performance in Dharamsala.