India bounced back from their shock defeat to South Korea pretty well by thumping Australia, but that winning momentum will need to continue when they play Bangladesh in the Kabaddi World Cup on Tuesday. To stay there or thereabouts at the top of the table, India cannot afford any more mistakes, something their experienced players will know pretty well.
The home team were caught unawares a little by South Korea towards the end of the match, when India seemed to have the result in control. The kabaddi level is improving with every game, so India would have learnt their lesson on keeping their concentration levels at maximum levels right through the entire match.
They did that against the Aussies and came up with a comprehensive win. "Every match is important," India captain Anup Kumar said. "We started the match against Australia as we planned and we will continue the winning momentum."
Bangladesh are coming off a big win of their own – a 52-18 result over England – and having played just one match so far, they will be the fresher of the two teams. While India are the overwhelming favourites for this match, as they found out against South Korea, there are very few easy matches now in the kabaddi world.
The defence is the worry for India, because the players seem to be making mistakes at the wrong time, allowing their opponents to take advantage. Trying to assert their dominance is fine, but it should not come at the expense of the result, so staying patient and making sure they do not do anything daft will be important.
As decent a team as Bangladesh are, if India play to their full potential, there should be only one winner from this match. With a big crowd expected again in Ahmedabad, the onus will be on India to entertain their supporters and give them plenty to cheer about.
Where to Watch Live
India vs Bangladesh is set to begin at 9pm IST (4.30pm BST, 11.30am ET). Live Streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: Star Sports 2/HD, Star Sports 3/HD. Live streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: Sky Sports. Live streaming: Watch Sky Sports.
USA: TV: Fox Sports. Live streaming: Fox Sports Go.
