What happened when India clashed against Bangladesh in the 2019 ODI World Cup?

It is surprising to believe that when India met Bangladesh for the first time at the World Cup stage, it was with one of the Men in Blue’s strongest squads back in 2007. However, that match ended in a crushing defeat that proved to be the first step in India’s infamous elimination from the World Cup that was held in the Caribbean islands.

However, India squared off against Bangladesh in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions of the World Cup, and the Men in Blue came out on top emphatically on all three occasions.

As India gear up for their upcoming challenge against the continental neighbours, here’s what happened when the Men in Blue collided with Bangladesh the last time in the World Cup 2019.

When we have a look at the numbers, a few fans believe that it was a very close affair where Bangladesh was able to knock on the doors of what could have been a remarkable victory for them. However, looking at the circumstances and the context of the game, one would know that India were well in control throughout the game.

Winning the toss, India opted to bat first. The opening duo of Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were into business straightaway as they clobbered the Bangladesh bowlers to every single nook and cranny of the park. Rohit (104) and Rahul (77) posted 180 runs from the first 29 overs before the former holed out to Liton Das off Soumya Sarkar’s bowling.

Rahul departed shortly, nicking to Mushfiqur Rahim as Rubel Hussain produced the all-important edge. Despite Virat Kohli (26), Rishabh Pant (48) and MS Dhoni (35) chipping in with their crucial cameos, what seemed like a solid 350 at the mid-way stage ended with the scoreboard reading a modest 314/9 after 50 overs. Mustafizur Rahman claimed a fifer to emerge as the hero for Bangladesh.

Bangladesh got off to a feisty start, courtesy of Tamim Iqbal (22) and Sarkar (33), while Shakib al Hasan helped himself to an important 66. However, the Indian bowlers kept on applying the squeeze time and time again and that caused the Bangladeshi resolve to snap.

It was Hardik Pandya who came forth with a brilliant display, clinching a three-fer to leave Bangladesh wobbling while Jasprit Bumrah ran through their tail, leaving the Mashrafe Mortaza-led side shocked. Bumrah finished with a four-fer as India bowled out Bangladesh for 286, securing a crucial 28-run win.