• Kohli shoulders the responsibility of the chase with magnificent shots, displaying his vintage brilliance. Every batsman chips in, but Kohli's performance stands out as he scored his 49th century for India in international ODIs. India secures a convincing 7-wicket victory, chasing down the target in 41.3 overs, with Kohli's masterclass leading the way. What a player!
  
• Half century for Virat Kohli (50* of 48 balls)! Once again, we are witnessing a sensual and responsible innings from him as India reach 171/2 after 27 overs
• In the chase of 256, Gill and Rohit provide a strong start for India. Rohit scores 48 off 40 balls but is dismissed by Hasan Mahmud. Gill continues with a fabulous half-century before Mehidy Hasan Miraz claims his wicket. After 22 overs, India stands at 146/2, looking solid in their pursuit
  
• India begins chase
• In the final over, Bumrah shines for India. He starts with a dot ball as the ball hits Mahmudullah's pads, and India opts for a review but it's wasted due to a big inside edge. Then, Bumrah delivers a stunning perfect yorker, clean bowling Mahmudullah for 46. Shoriful takes a single, Mustafizur gets a single, and then Shoriful smashes a six with a slogging shot over covers. Bangladesh finishes at 256/8
  
• OUT! In the 47th over, Nasum smacks a full delivery straight, with Siraj attempting a catch but failing. Nasum goes for a wild slog, misses, and then manages to hit a four. However, his innings ends as he edges a short ball for an easy catch by the keeper, leaving Bangladesh at 233/7 after 47.1 overs
  
• Bangladesh reach 229/6 after 46.2 overs
• OUT! What a catch! Mushfiqur Rahim takes a single off Bumrah's first ball to bring up Bangladesh's 200. Then, Bumrah delivers a wide delivery, and Mushfiqur goes for a slash. Ravindra Jadeja dives to his right and completes a stunning diving catch. Mushfiqur Rahim departs for 38 (46 balls, 1x4, 1x6). Bangladesh is now 201/6 after 43 overs
  
• OUT! Jadeja strikes again. Second wicket for the Indian all-rounder as Litton Das departs for 66 of 80 balls. India is now gaining the upper-hand as Bangladesh batting order stumbles. Mushfiqur Rahim is the next batsman. Score reaches 138/4 after 28 overs
• OUT! A sensational catch by KL Rahul! Siraj delivers a delivery on the hips, and Hasan attempts to guide it towards fine leg but manages only a faint edge. In an acrobatic move, Rahul stretches to his left and takes a remarkable one-handed catch. Mehidy Hasan departs for 3 of 13 deliveries as Towhid Hridoy walks out to bat. Bangladesh is facing a setback with these quick wickets. Score reaches at 131/3 after 25 overs
  
• Half-century for Litton Das (50* of 62 balls)! This has been a fine knock for the Bangladeshi opener as a continues his good form against India
• OUT! Ravindra Jadeja strikes for India Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto departs for 8 in 17 balls. Bangladesh 110/2 after 20 overs. India is gaining the momentum slowly. Mehidy Hasan is the next batman on the crease.
• Bangladesh cross their 100-run mark in 17.2 overs. Quite a great start for Bangladesh. india is looking for some quick wickets as score reaches 107/1 in 19 overs
• OUT! In the 15th over, Kuldeep Yadav ultimately manages to claims the crucial wicket of Tanzid who attempts a sweep, misses the ball, and is struck on the front pad. The umpire's decision is instantaneous, and there's no review from Bangladesh. Bangladesh is now 94/1 after Tanzid's dismissal at 51 in 43 balls.
  
• Half-century for Tanzid Hossain Shanto
• After 10 overs, Bangladesh is 63/0. Shardul Thakur concedes a six and two fours to Tanzid in the 10th over, putting Bangladesh in a commanding position. Hardik Pandya briefly steps in but is injured, making way for Virat Kohli, who gives away just two runs. Hardik is hurt while attempting to stop a boundary. Siraj struggles in the 8th over, conceding boundaries to Tanzid, who reaches 37. Bumrah shifts to an around-the-wicket angle in the 7th over, generating swing and conceding a six to Tanzid. Litton Das finds his form, hitting two boundaries in the 6th over
  
• After 5 overs, Bangladesh is 10/0 against India in the World Cup 2023 match. Bumrah's in-swinging delivery surprises Tanzid for a single. Litton takes a single as well. Bumrah goes short, and Tanzid plays it over point for a couple. Siraj maintains the pressure with four dot balls in the 4th over, and Litton is yet to score. Bumrah delivers a maiden over to Litton in the 3rd over. In the 2nd over, Tanzid manages to find the gap for a four. In the 1st over, Bumrah starts with a couple of wides, and Tanzid gets a single. Litton faces a few play and misses
  
• While India named an unchanged team, Hasan Mahmud was brought into the Bangladesh side in place of Taskin Ahmed
  
• "He (Shakib) is struggling a bit, Nasum is coming in for him. We have some great memories against India, hopefully we continue our form. I hope it'll be a great match," said Shanto during toss
  
• Bangladesh playing XI: Litton Das, Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Nasum Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam
  
• India playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
  
• Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto wins toss, decides to bats first
• Shakib Al Hasan is not playing today. Najmul Hossain Shanto to lead Bangladesh today
  

Going by the current form of the teams, the popular pre-match prediction of India’s World Cup game against Bangladesh here on Thursday will be a romp for Rohit Sharma’s men.

But if the glossy surface is scratched, one will have to tear away that view based on the form book.

Bangladesh have beaten India three times in the last four ODIs -- twice in a bilateral series in December 2022 and then in the Asia Cup Super Four match recently.

In this tournament, the underdogs have already shown how to slay the giants. If in doubt, check with England and South Africa about their feelings after their shock losses to Afghanistan and Netherlands respectively.

India would certainly want to avoid that banana peel and keep their good run intact in this World Cup.

In the batting front, captain Rohit will look to continue his imperious form while top order batters Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli will be eager to score big.

Rohit has been at the forefront of India’s domination in the last couple of matches with stunning knocks of 86 against Pakistan and 131 against Afghanistan. India are perched on the top spot in the points table and they would aim to extend their winning run.

While the two knocks of highest quality have put Rohit in the limelight, his younger opening partner Gill would be itching to get a big score for himself, given that he is back to full fitness and has had an impressive run in the ODIs this year.

For Kohli, a mistimed hit against Pakistan led to an early dismissal but that was a minor blip, as the batting maestro previously produced a masterful 85 against Australia and a match-winning 55 not out against Afghanistan.

Among others, Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten fifty against Pakistan has signalled that India’s batting is firing in unison and there are no real concerns. As such, the team may not want to tinker with the winning combination just yet.

While India will look to make the most of batting-friendly conditions here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, their mixed record of four wins in seven matches at this venue in ODIs, combined with the recent run against Bangladesh -- three defeats in the last four one-dayers -- makes the bowlers’ role all the more important.

No doubt, India will be firm favourites against Bangladesh, considering their bowlers' top class performances in restricting Australia for a mere 199 and Pakistan for a poor 191.

Indian bowlers too have done a collective job though Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance and Kuldeep Yadav’s guile made them a stand out attack from the rest in the competition, in their sheer ability to keep the opposition team's scoring rate in check and making regular inroads even on the flattest of decks.

Bangladesh are not to be blamed if they spend a large part of their preparation time drawing up plans against Rohit, whose red-hot form promises a third century in a row in World Cup encounters against the 'Tigers'.

Rohit’s stupendous 137 in the quarterfinal in Melbourne (2015 World Cup) and 104 in Birmingham (2019) ensured his side exceeded the 300-run mark for a third consecutive time since 2011 edition against Bangladesh, with India burying their opponents under a mountain of runs on each of these occasions.

The Indian captain has hit seven centuries, the most for any batter in World Cup history, and it remains to be seen how soon he enters double-digit figures in terms of hundreds, given his magnificent form.

Notwithstanding their impeccable run so far, India will look to guard against any complacency knowing that this World Cup has already produced two sensational upsets, with defending champions England hunted down by Afghanistan and South Africa stopped in their tracks by a spirited Netherlands.

The knowledge of conditions and an expected packed house at the MCA Stadium promises India the best atmosphere once again to record another win in this World Cup and continue their march towards the semifinals, but Bangladesh are no pushovers and they have been a tricky side to face for India.

For Bangladesh, it is imperative that their best player and captain Shakib Al Hasan overcomes the challenge of a quad injury to his left leg and is available for selection on Thursday.

Shakib, who did not bowl on Tuesday during the team's training session, will be essential for Bangladesh to take the fight to India.

A comprehensive win in the World Cup opener followed by two defeats against better teams has put Bangladesh in a position of some desperation, given that a third loss on the trot will only dent their hopes.

Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have one half-century each to show at the top order from the first three games but more will be expected from young players Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy, as only Mushfiqur Rahim has done the heavy-lifting in the middle order.

Taskin Ahmed’s sudden dip in form has piled up pressure on the team which has been scampering for bowling options, with the right-arm seamer managing only two wickets in three outings.

For someone as experienced as Mustafizur Rahman, the returns have largely been disappointing, as he also has only two wickets to show in three matches.

The Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav.

Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Das (wk), Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto (vc), Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Match starts at 2pm IST.