Bangladesh had beaten India in 2007 and local fans were expecting the lightening to strike twice in a row. It didn’t happen thanks to a Virender Sehwag masterclass but what the crowd stood for was a kind of passion world cricket had rarely seen. Bangladesh, it was evident, could match India every step for passion and it was only a matter of time before the team emerged as serious challengers to the big brothers of world cricket.
It was the start of a rivalry that played out yet again in Melbourne in 2015. India won thanks to a Rohit Sharma century but Bangladesh fans had every reason to feel let down. Rohit was out only for Aleem Dar to call it a no ball and used the let off to take the match away from Bangladesh, who had already accounted for England’s exit from the World Cup. That the wound hadn’t healed was evident when India toured Dhaka months after the World Cup.
Not only did the hosts win 3-0, the media and the fans went overboard with cartoons showing the Bangladeshi Tiger pouncing on the Indians. Utterly distasteful morphed photographs of the Bangladesh skipper holding Indian captain MS Dhoni’s severed head was doing the rounds. From a sociological perspective the rivalry had started to embed itself deep in peoples’ minds.
Close matches added spice to the growing intensity. Loss against India by one run off the last ball at the 2016 World T20, a match remembered for Dhoni’s sprint towards stumps, left a deep scar. It was evident from Mushfiqur Rahim’s celebration on social media after India lost to the West Indies to crash out of the tournament.
Bangladesh came close yet again in Sri Lanka in March 2018 before a Dinesh Karthik six off the last ball sealed their fate. They had pushed India but were not able to close things out.
Bangladesh are the only team in the world at the moment that can match India for support. It was no surprise that a third of Edgbaston was chanting Joy Bangla during the 2017 Champions Trophy. The chants ended in a whimper with India winning rather easily but now the Bangladesh fans have one more opportunity.
Yes, the Indians have been in stellar form and have already beaten Bangladesh once in the Super Four stage but the final is what really matters. Bangladesh will take heart from Pakistan’s victory against India in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy and will believe it is all about the day and the 100 overs to be played. Finals are played as much in the mind as with skill and that’s where Bangladesh can’t be ruled out. They are the new challengers, marking the onset of a new pecking order in Asia. While the challengers start as the underdogs, Rohit and India will know they will have to bring out their A game to go past the Tigers on Friday.
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