India end Bangladesh's winning run

After opening their World Cup campaign in Group 'A' with a 42-22 victory over Uganda and sweeping aside Germany 57-27 in their second match, Bangladesh could not maintain their winning run in their third outing -- falling 43-18 to defending world champions India.

At Mirpur's Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium on Wednesday evening, the hosts simply could not stand up to the side that won the inaugural Women's World Cup in 2012. India were superior in every department, leaving Rupalí Akter's team under pressure throughout.

India claimed the first point under the dazzling lights of the court, with Bangladesh levelling the score in the following raid. But what initially hinted at a competitive contest soon grew increasingly one-sided -- establishing the dominance of the reigning champions. India showed exactly why they are the world's best, with Ritu Negi and Sonali Vishnu Shingate excelling in both raiding and tackling. Bangladesh's raiders --Brishti Akter and Rupalí -- failed to secure points, while the defenders could not impose themselves in tackles.

India kept collecting points raid after raid. Within six minutes they knocked Champa out of the court and inflicted the first all-out on Bangladesh, taking the score to 12-5. Rupalí and Brishti attempted to mount some resistance, but by then Bangladesh had already suffered another all-out.

Bangladesh trailed 29-8 at half-time. The pattern continued after the interval -- India's dominance remained firmly intact. Inflicting a third all-out, India extended their lead to 42-15. Eventually, the defending champions coasted to a comfortable 43-18 victory, sealing their second consecutive win.