Ashwin's guile or Shardul's utility? Rohit having sleepless nights over selection: India's likely XI for Bangladesh tie

Team India will face subcontinental neighbours Bangladesh in an important 2023 World Cup match on Thursday, and despite Rohit Sharma's men being touted as favourites to win the game, it can be a close encounter in Pune. A closer examination of recent matches tells a different story; Bangladesh have emerged victorious against India in three of their last four ODIs including the Asia Cup last month; as such, it wouldn't be prudent to consider Shakib Al Hasan's men as pushovers despite their relatively poorer start to the World Cup.

This tournament so far has already seen minnows upsetting giants, with England and South Africa suffering surprising losses to Afghanistan and the Netherlands respectively. India would certainly hope to avoid a similar upset and maintain their excellent run in the tournament.

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On the batting front, Rohit Sharma is in splendid form, scoring a remarkable 86 against Pakistan and 131 against Afghanistan in the last two matches. While Rohit's performances have been the highlight, his opening partner, Shubman Gill, who is back to full fitness, will seek a big score after an impressive run in ODIs this year. Virat Kohli, despite a minor setback against Pakistan, has produced a masterful 85 against Australia and a match-winning 55 not out against Afghanistan.

With Shreyas Iyer's unbeaten fifty against Pakistan, India's batting appears to be firing on all cylinders, and there are no significant concerns. Therefore, the team may not want to alter the winning combination at this point. While KL Rahul remains a calming presence at no.5, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are set to retain their roles at 6 and 7 respectively. Thanks to India's strong performances in the first three matches, the lower middle-order has remained untested in the tournament so far; it is worth noting that India are yet to bat full 50 overs in a World Cup match this year, having chased in every match so far.

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India's bowlers have demonstrated their prowess by limiting Australia to 199 and Pakistan to a meager 191. While the bowlers have worked collectively, Jasprit Bumrah's excellence and Kuldeep Yadav's craftiness have set them apart from the rest of the competition. Their remarkable ability to control the opposition's scoring rate and consistently take wickets, even on the most batting-friendly pitches, makes them an exceptional bowling duo.

In the side's last game, the Indian bowling attack came all guns blazing at Pakistan, with Bumrah, Kuldeep, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya picking two wickets each. The major debate over the past couple of matches has revolved around the inclusion of Shardul Thakur, who bowled only two overs against Pakistan; many believe Ravichandran Ashwin could be a more contributing inclusion to the Indian XI, but the team management has chosen to place its faith on Shardul.

Against Bangladesh, any change seems unlikely.

India predicted XI vs Bangladesh, World Cup 2023

Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill

Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj