India and Bangladesh have faced each other for the first time in India today in the format since 1998. The match is being played at the MCA Stadium in Pune and the hosts were put under pressure by the openers after Bangladesh skipper won the toss and opted to bat first. Litton Das and Tanzid Hasan batted well upfront to add 93 runs for the first wicket.
Both batters scored half-centuries before getting out and also got the team off to a fantastic start. They became the fourth pair of openers in the history of World Cup to score fifties against India. England openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow was the last pair of openers to cross the 50-run mark against India in World Cup 2019. Interestingly, the first pair to achieve this feat was Andrew Hudson and Peter Kirsten of South Africa in 1992. While Hudson had scored 53 runs, his partnership was able to muster 84 runs during his stay in the middle.
Another interesting fact with this record is India have lost on all three previous occasions when they have conceded half-centuries from both openers.
Instances when both openers scored fifties against India in World Cup
| Openers |
World Cup edition |
| Andrew Hudson (53) & P Kirsten (84) (South Africa) |
1992 |
| Mark Waugh (126) & Mark Taylor (59) (Australia) |
1996 |
| Jason Roy (66) & Jonny Bairstow (111) (England) |
2019 |
| Tanzid Hasan (51) & Litton Das (66) (Bangladesh) |
2023 |
India restrict Bangladesh to 256
Meanwhile, despite starting poorly with the ball, team India has done a terrific job restricting Bangladesh to just 256 runs. The Tigers wasted a good start from the openers and lost wickets at regular intervals. The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja bowled superbly in the middle overs to strike multiple times. The pacers made a decent comeback as well at the backend of the innings helping India restrict the opposition to a below-par total.
