India v Bangladesh predictions and Cricket World Cup betting tips: Bumrah set to star for red-hot hosts

Where to watch India v Bangladesh

Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Cricket, Thursday 9.30am

Best bet

Jasprit Bumrah top India wicket-taker
2pts 3-1 general

India v Bangladesh predictions

If the early part of this year’s Cricket World Cup has been defined by shock results, then no one told hosts India.

Rohit Sharma’s men have been dominant in their games and all three have followed the same winning formula.

In front of raucous crowds, India have bowled first and kept their opponents to a below-par total. Then, in response they have cruised through their chases, with their star-studded batting line-up making light work of the opposition’s bowling attack.

In their three matches they have lost a total of just nine wickets and have also finished with 259 balls to spare across those three chases, demonstrating the ease with which they have got the better of Australia, Afghanistan and rivals Pakistan.

India are now just 1-7 to see off Bangladesh in Pune and it’s difficult to see any path to success for their opposition, who are 13-2 to spring an upset.

Bangladesh beat Afghanistan in their opener before defeats at the hands of England and New Zealand by 137 runs and eight wickets respectively.

They are yet to post a total above 250 and their captain and talisman Shakib Al Hasan is an injury doubt for this match.

Al Hasan’s bowling attack has failed to contain their opponents in the last two games, with England racking up a total of 364-9 and New Zealand losing just two wickets as they chased down 245 easily.

That could spell trouble against an Indian top-order who have been in devastating form. Captain Rohit Sharma has totals of 131 and 86 in his last two innings while Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have all chipped in with half-centuries at the tournament.

The hosts have shown no sign of letting up with the ball either, with star paceman Jasprit Bumrah proving his effectiveness in this format.

The 29-year-old has eight wickets in three games and his career average in World Cup games now stands at 17.84.

Bumrah has also had plenty of success at this ground, the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, taking eight wickets from three ODI appearances. Only Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken more.

Although India’s bowling line-up is full of dangerous weapons, Bumrah’s consistency and his previous success on this ground make him a solid bet to be the hosts’ top wicket taker.

Bangladesh will take hope from the upsets that Afghanistan and the Netherlands have achieved in recent days but against a formidable India side and their home crowd, their task looks mammoth.

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