The ICC World Cup 2023 heads to Pune as India take on Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday, October 19. India are coming off a rather comprehensive win against arch-rivals Pakistan and now are currently in the second position with New Zealand taking the first spot from India following their win against Afghanistan. Another win and India will start knocking on the semifinals' doors. Bangladesh, on the other hand, are coming off two consecutive losses against England and New Zealand.
The pitches India have played on so far have become better as the match has gone on and the Men in Blue didn't find much difficulty chasing in Delhi and Ahmedabad. Chennai match against Australia saw Indian batters start poorly, but the middle-order rescue by Virat Kohli and KL Rahul meant that hurdle was also crossed. However, things might be different at the MCA Stadium in Pune where teams batting first have done well.
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune Pitch Report
The surface at the MCA Stadium is generally a good one and that shows in how the previous seven ODIs have panned out at the venue. Out of seven matches, in five of them the first innings score was 300-plus and only twice it was chased down. With the stadium being an open one, the ball flies in Pune but because of the breeze, the pace bowlers get early assistance, especially in the evening. Hence, batting first is the way to go in Pune because if you get a good start, the batters can go really big and chasing isn't the easiest at this venue.
As far as the team combination is concerned, although two spinners and four pace options is a good attack, considering the number of left-handers in the Bangladesh line-up, Team India might look to add off-spinner R Ashwin into the side. If they want to stay with the two spinners, four pacers (including Hardik Pandya) combination they might look to add Mohammed Shami in place of Shardul Thakur as he bowls upfront and might get the assistance because of his upright seam. However, Ashwin replacing Shardul has a high probability of taking place.
