Bangladesh against India: Full of fury but signifying nothing

Since the setback at Port of Spain in 2007, India haven’t allowed Bangladesh even a sniff of victory in ODI World Cup meetings

- Vivek Krishnan

“They (Bangladesh) can’t beat us in Tests. They can surprise you in ODIs but not in Tests. They are an ordinary side.”

This was Virender Sehwag’s characteristic see-ball, hit-ball response on the eve of a match in Chittagong in 2010 when asked whether Bangladesh can beat India in Test cricket. It’s been 13 years since Sehwag’s blunt remarks, a precursor to his current-day social media avatar, but it’s appropriate to ask a similar question. Can Bangladesh beat India in a high-stakes World Cup game?

Bangladesh’s legion of supporters will, of course, point to the famous upset they caused in the Caribbean in 2007, but in the 16 years since that win which sent shockwaves through India, their progress has arguably been minimal.

Which is why victory against India in Pune on Thursday will be considered just as big an upset. India are flying after three straight victories to kick off their World Cup campaign while Bangladesh are caught in a familiar rut. Since beating Afghanistan by six wickets in their opening match, they have been comprehensively beaten by England in Dharamsala and by New Zealand in Chennai.

The problems are manifold. Having allowed an England batting unit that’s not quite firing on all cylinders to hammer 364, they folded up for 227 in response. When it was their turn to bat first and give the bowlers a decent total to defend against New Zealand, they stumbled to a below-par 245/9. New Zealand won with eight wickets in hand and 43 balls to spare on a surface in Chennai that should have aided their spinners.