Bangladesh, not England, will be India’s bigger challenge

From being cubs to tigers, Bangladesh have come of age. So much so, that the media calling their World Cup 2019 win against South Africa 'an upset' upset their captain Mashrafe Mortaza. “Do you think this was a surprise? If we can deliver our best we knew what we could do," Mashrafe had said after the victory.

The next few days were a testimony to Mashrafe's viewpoint. Apart from the crushing defeat at England's hands, Bangladesh has had a stellar World Cup already. They thrashed West Indies and Afghanistan and proved that Bangladesh's win over other international sides were no longer in the 'sporting shocks' category.

Even in defeats to New Zealand and Australia, Bangladesh managed to put up a spirited fight that kept both the rival captains, Kane Williamson and Aaron Finch, on their toes throughout.

The coming days will be nothing short of challenging for this fiery South Asian team as they prepare to face a rejuvenated Pakistan and an Indian team obsessed with winning. Bangladesh have beaten a star-studded Indian team and a much-feared Pakistan in the nineties in World Cups before.

Can they do it again?

Buoyed by an attacking opening pair, a world-class all-rounder, a gritty wicket-keeping batsman, a string of fearless big-hitters and a versatile left-arm seamer, Bangladesh would see no reason why they cannot!.

For India, the road to semi-finals is not laden with as many challenges as their neighbour’s. One would be tempted to think that hosts England would turn out to be India’s toughest test. However, World Cups are funny tournaments in which logic and predictions often go out of the window. A case in point: whilst mighty India flattened defending champs Australia, Virat Kohli's team struggled to get past the newbies Afghanistan.

Midway through the tournament, England’s brawn seems to be fading. On the evidence of their last few matches, when the English bowling or batting comes under pressure at the beginning, they are most likely to buckle.

India, too, are not as flawless as their winning streak in this tournament suggests. A shaky and unreliable middle-order, the over-dependence on Virat Kohli and the fear of openers failing early are still a stark reality. By far, the saving grace for India has been their bowling attack.

To put it plainly, this writer feels that, more than England, it is Bangladesh who are poised to prey upon India’s weaknesses. They are well equipped to throttle India with slow and steady spin in the middle-overs. Also, the Bangladeshi batsmen in the middle and lower-middle order are well-versed with spin and stand a better chance of neutralising the Kul-Cha threat as compared to England.

The body language of the English team, with their captain Eoin Morgan’s grim face watching them lose to underdogs Sri Lanka and favourites Australia from the dressing room, doesn’t bode well.

On the contrary, Bangladesh are an excited bunch. They have this belief writ large over their faces that they can win no matter what. The glint in their eyes at every boundary and wicket is unmissable. Bangladesh have come a long way from their humiliating 2016 T20I World Cup loss against India in the quarters. They seem to have finally learnt ways to win from adversity. The tigers have tasted blood and their opponents should take them lightly only at their own peril.