To the naked eye, this match would be an absolute mismatch. However as the events have unfolded in the World Cup so far, no match is a guaranteed result.

Defending Champions India remain unbeaten in the tournament and come up against a familiar sub continental opposition on Thursday for a place in the semi-finals against Australia or Pakistan.

Bangladesh’s performances in the group stage have been nothing short of brilliant. Although they suffered a hammering against Sri Lanka, they responded with great fight to beat England and give New Zealand a real scare in their final game.

Mohammad Mahmudullah has been instrumental in Bangladesh making it through to their maiden World Cup quarterfinal. He created history by becoming the nation’s first World Cup centurion.

Along with Mushfiqur Rahim, the pair have been outstanding in the competition and delightful to watch. There’s no questioning their underdog status heading into this match but they will surely give India a run for their money.

Bowling has also been a key element to their game with Mashrafe Mortaza leading from the front along with Rubel Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan. Their bowling unit has improved significantly throughout the tournament.

Zimbabwe gave India a scare in their final game of the group but MS Dhoni’s cool head and composure led the team past the line. His captaincy skills along with the team’s batting will be their main strength in the knockout matches.

The resurgence of Shikhar Dhawan has been a major boost for the men in blue. The left hander looks a completely different player after a dismal tour of Australia.

With all the attention on the batsmen, the bowlers haven’t received as much credit as they do. Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Mohit Sharma have all put in great performances so far and it will be interesting to see how they fare in the knockout matches.

When Bangladesh takes the field on Thursday, they must play it just like another games of cricket and not let the pressure get the better of them according to Shakib. 

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