World Cup 2015 Quarterfinal India v/s Bangladesh: Not exactly a David and Goliath battle

After the huge success of The 48 Laws of Power, published in 1998, Robert Greene turned into a "cult hero" with the hip-hop set, Hollywood elite and prison inmates alike. Over the next 14 years, he went on to author best-sellers The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law (written collaboratively with drug dealer-turned-rapper 50 Cent) and Mastery.

Law 15 of the first book deals with the idea of "crushing your enemy totally". It says that the real world is unforgiving and shows you no mercy. If and when you let your guard down, you allow someone to take advantage of the situation. Do not sympathise with your enemy.

At the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, Team India will begin what horseracing connoisseurs call the homestretch. Long before the World Cup began, but not too long before the draw was announced, every second cricket lover in the country understood the dynamics of the tournament. It was as simple as ABCD. Beat the UAE, the West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe and take the easy way into the quarters. Enjoy your success, up your ante and take it one game at a time.

India have done that and more. In fact, they have followed Greene's mantra to the T. How else did they march their way into the quarterfinals with a perfect record? They started off by putting Pakistan in their place and swatting away South Africa before doing what everyone expected them to. Now, they only have to go by their plans.

On Wednesday, Suresh Raina spoke of the calm in the camp. He explained how each player went about his business without any need for prompting. The team is on auto-pilot mode and you can see that. The batsmen know what's expected of them; the bowlers are on a high; and the fielding unit is electric.

Raina also spoke of the 2007 debacle, of the 2011 revenge, of the respect Bangladesh deserved, of the atmosphere at the MCG and of many other things. But he was quick to add that none of it mattered to the defending champions. "Do your own thing" is not just a teenage slang. It's what this team, led by MS Dhoni, thrives on. In many ways, it's an extension of the process-result analogy.

Since that huge upset in Port of Spain eight years ago, India have lost to Bangladesh only once in 13 matches. Here are some more facts that make great reading if you are an Indian: India are undefeated in this World Cup; India have registered 10 consecutive games wins in World Cup play; India have bowled out each of their opponents in this tournament; India's record in the knockout games of ICC events is second to none; India's opponents on Thursday will be playing their first-ever knockout game in an ICC event; India's opponents on Thursday had difficulty adjusting to the dimensions of the cauldron that's the MCG when they took on Sri Lanka in a Group 'A' game; India's opponents on Thursday will be up against more than 80,000 spectators, most of whom will be booing them.

Greene's laws don't talk about the conditions. The match will be played on a drop-in pitch. It was overcast on Wednesday and it will be pretty much the same on match day too. In fact, there is a huge possibility of rain, but you never trust the weatherman in Melbourne. That said, the city has been rainy and gloomy for a couple of days now.

Neither team is expected to ring in any changes. And for the first time in recent memory, an all-Asian game of cricket will feature an exhibition of fast bowling. If Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma have made enough noise in the last 30 days, so have Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed. Guided by the Zimbabwean great Heath Streak, they are as quick as any of the pacers you see these days. There will also be some quality spin on display and some enterprising batsmen capable of countering whatever's hurled at them.

India go into the game as heavy favourites due to factors ranging from form to history. Somehow, they have to apply Greene's Law 15. After all, bigger battles beckon.