ICC World Cup: Should India be Wary of Bangladesh?

The Bangla Tigers have mauled another big team in a World Cup. It was India in 2007, England in 2011 and now England again in the ongoing tournament. Their 15-run win on Monday meant two things. One, England will be catching a flight back home much earlier than expected and two, India will in all probability play Bangladesh in the quarter finals. Before you start celebrating a safe passage for the Men in Blue to the semi finals, pause and think. Is a knockout match versus Mashrafe Mortaza's side a guaranteed cakewalk? NDTV World Cup expert and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar doesn't think so. (India vs Bangladesh in Quarters?)

Gavaskar told NDTV, "Their (Bangladesh's) batting is coming along well and on Australian and New Zealand pitches, their bowling is getting that additional edge which they probably don't have in subcontinental conditions. Bangladesh is a team to watch out for, not to be taken lightly at all by anybody, including India."(Bangladesh Knock Out England, Enter Quarters)

Should Team India then be wary of Bangladesh?(India Aim World Cup Record vs Ireland)

Man for man, India are of course the better team. They have beaten Bangladesh 24 times in 28 ODIs and will be the hands down favourites, but you have to consider the fact that Dhoni and company can't afford to make any big mistakes in their match vs Bangladesh. Despite their brilliant run in the tournament, if India lose, they will be out. If England had beaten Bangladesh on Monday, India in all probability would have played the 3 Lions in the quarters and according to Gavaskar, that would have been an easier match for India.

Gavsakar said, "I think if they played England in a World Cup, it would have been even easier. Look at England's form, England have won just 1 game. They are a nothing side. It's like whenever there is a football World Cup, people are talking about how England will do this and England will do that. At the end of the day, they are just an overrated team, cricket wise and football wise."

There have been two major upsets in this World Cup so far. Ireland have beaten the West Indies and now Bangladesh have knocked England out. Everytime something like this happens, it's a wake-up call of sorts for the 'big' teams. The Men in Blue would have watched the Bangladesh-England match very carefully, because the preparation for the knock-out stages would have already begun, at least in the players' minds. The bowlers would have taken note of Mahmudullah's historic century and Mushfiqur Rahim's controlled aggression, while the batsmen would have studied Rubel Hossain and Mortaza's tactics. Those are really the men who could hurt India in the quarters. Gavaskar in fact was all praise for the 5 feet 3 inch tall Mushfiqur.

According to Gavaskar, "Five feet nothing doesn't mean much. Big things come in small packages. He has been a man for the occasion. Even against India in the 2007 World Cup, he played a terrific innings. He has made tremendous progress since then. He might be little but he has a great feel for the occasion."

Mushfiqur in the 2007 World Cup was 18 years old and had scored an unbeaten 56 in Bangladesh's 5-wicket win against a star-studded Indian line-up. Eight years later, he will be dreaming of an encore, for himself and his team.