The defending champions India will face the minnows Bangladesh at the second quarter final match to be held on Thursday at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground. The men in blue have played brilliantly throughout the tournament and they will definitely not leave any stone unturned to reach into the semi final of the ongoing Cricket World Cup currently being underway in Australia and New Zealand.

World Cup 2015: India vs Bangladesh – Preview

Irrespective of what the fans and cricket experts are saying, the fact of the matter is the unpredictability of the game of cricket. Indian team can never take any match lightly especially when they are just a three win away from winning the world cup trophy once again. However, ace Bangladesh all-rounder and former captain Shakib-Al-Hassan has already stated to the media that his team is ready to play fearless cricket at the World cup.

History is definitely on the side of the Indian cricket team owing to their marvellous performance on the ground over the last few years. India have been successful to beat its neighbour on a regular basis in recent times. However the success of Bangladesh as a team is its ability to stay ever enthusiast and learn from its mistakes. With the likes of Mohamadulla and Star all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hassan it would be unfair to completely write them off even before the start of the match.

Even a slightest mistake from Indian cricket team would cost them the match. In a nutshell the onus would be on the Indian cricketers to play excellent cricket because they are the defending champions. On the other hand Bangladesh will have nothing to lose. They are already into the Quarter final stage and their best batsman Mahmudullah is already amongst the top run-getters in the tournament.

India will certainly have an upper hand at the quarter final clash. The batsmen like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dhoni are capable match winners in their own respect. They could simply be a nightmare for any bowler. Hence Bangladesh will have an uphill task ahead to dismantle Indian batting order if they want to stay alive in the World Cup. Indian bowlers are also in sublime form. Mohammad Shami is already one of the leading wicket takers in the tournament and if India wants to repeat history, then he has to keep the momentum going. India have remained invincible until now.

Bangladesh are sure play deftly in the match because they have already reached into the second stage of the tournament. The men in green will try their level best at the MCG in the quarter final match against India. They will certainly not make it a cakewalk for India rather Dhoni & Co. will have to outsmart its neighbors. Bangladesh have defeated India stunningly in World Cup 2007 in West Indies hence India need to stay cautious from them.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma.

Bangladesh: Mahmudullah, Imrul Kayes, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Arafat Sunny, Taskin Ahmed and Rubel Hossain.

Tags: Bangladesh, Cricket, Cricket World Cup, CWC15, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, India, MCG, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Quarter Final, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli