Going by current form, India will start as clear favourites against Bangladesh in their World Cup 2023 match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on Thursday. However, that popular opinion on the form book could be easily torn away with one inspiring show from Bangladesh.

To put things in perspective, India have ended on the losing side on past three of the four occasions both sides met in the 50-over format, with the latest Bangladeshi assault coming in an inconsequential Super Four match of the Asia Cup, last month.

Over the years, Bangladesh have improved by leaps and bounds, and what was once a one-sided affair for the Indians, has evolved into a fierce neck and neck rivalry with ‘The Tigers’, showing they are no pushovers, especially when it comes to white-ball formats.

The underdogs in the ongoing World Cup have already effected two major upsets, with defending champions England and South Africa, falling to Afghanistan and the Netherlands, respectively.

An inspiring show from Bangladesh could land India in similar territory, something which Rohit Sharma and Co will look to avoid and guard the unit against being complacent.

India have so far been very professional in their approach against every opponent, and barring a minor blip (losing three wickets in first couple of overs) against the Australians in the first match, the Men-in-Blue has been clinical in their all three wins, against Australia, Afghanistan and the high-pressure game against Pakistan.

India have ticked all boxes in the first three games, and will hope to retain the core group barring a minor change in the bowling line-up. As far as the batting is concerned, the return of Shubman Gill has bolstered the opening combination with skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been in scintillating form, with scores of 86 against Pakistan and 131 against Afghanistan.

Gill, on his World Cup debut, looked in great touch, slamming four boundaries for his 16 runs against Pakistan, and will eye for a bigger score under his belt. Similarly, Virat Kohli will eye a three-digit score with the MCA Stadium promising a good batting wicket. Shreyas Iyer, fresh from an undefeated half century will look to continue his decent form, and so does KL Rahul.

However, India’s inconsistent record of four wins from seven outings at the MCA Stadium could mean more work for the bowling unit, which has been in spectacular form of late. While Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have been the main tormentors for the opposition, it has been a collective show from the unit to keep opposition teams restricted to below par scores in the competition.

For Bangladesh, it will be interesting to see whether Shakib Al Hasan has fully recovered from the quad injury to his left leg and turns out for the game. Shakib did not bowl during Bangladesh’s training on Tuesday, and if he fails to turn up for Thursday’s contest, Bangladesh will surely fall short of one of their most potent weapons against India.

Having started their World Cup campaign on a promising note with a handsome 6-wicket win over Afghanistan, Bangladesh suffered two heavy losses against England by 137 runs before being hammered by 8 wickets by New Zealand. Another loss against India could only further dent their chances.

Early Diwali for farmers near MCA

It’s early Diwali for the farming community in the vicinity of the MCA Stadium. Not a golden harvest but for the lacs spent by the Maharashtra Cricket Association to rent around 40 acres of land in and around the village to ensure parking facilities for the spectators.

While some farmers are boasting of getting around Rs 1.75 lakh, some are happy with Rs 50 thousand, depending on their land’s distance from the stadium for the five encounters being hosted at the stadium.

The others who failed to get their land on rent, are expecting a heavy footfall on Thursday and are busy giving final touches to their properties, that will be used as parking space on rent.

A villager on the condition of anonymity, said that during matches at the stadium, most youngsters in the village skip their daily schedule (work or study) and engage themselves in parking facilities to earn a few quick bucks. He said that the prices of parking spaces shoot up to Rs 200 to Rs 300 per two-wheeler, and Rs 500 for four wheelers, and Thursday is going to be no different.

No tickets for locals

However, the lack of physical ticket counters at the MCA Stadium at remote Gahunje in Pune’s Maval taluka, have left the villagers disappointed. Most locals returned empty-handed on match eve as there were no counters, selling tickets, and are only available on online booking platforms.

For some, it’s a prestige issue, as relatives far and wide, expect them to acquire the tickets, but the ICC’s decision to allow only online sale of tickets have left them with no other option.

Even on the eve of the match, youngsters of the village made rounds around the stadium for tickets, but met with no luck.