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“How is it that Bangladesh are doing so well at the World Cup?” my father asked me a couple of nights ago at the dinner table. Before I could muster a response, he shot another at me. “And this Mahmudullah fellow, two back-to-back hundreds. He can definitely bat,” he said rather worriedly. “Bangladesh played their first one-day international in 1986. It has been a Test playing nation for the last 15 years. We shouldn’t be surprised with their charge to the quarter-finals,” was my explanation. He seemed content. But as he got up from his chair, he landed the telling blow, “Well, we shouldn’t be surprised if they end up beating India in the quarter-final then.”
There is no doubt that Bangladesh have been good this World Cup. Very good, in fact. But they will have to play remarkably well if they are to prove my father’s prognosis right. They’ll have to do something they’ve done only four times in World Cup history — beat a Test playing nation. Nevertheless, India against Bangladesh has all the makings of an entrancing World Cup encounter — the giant versus the proverbial underdog, a battle between proven superstars and young, undaunted men itching to leave an indelible mark on the world stage.
We’ve always known Bangladesh as a dangerous side, which on its day, can vanquish the mightiest of oppositions. But in their short and largely lustreless cricket history, this is probably the best we’ve seen them play. The form of Mahmudullah Riyad with the bat, Shakib Al Hasan’s impressive all-round performance, Rubel Hossian and Taksin Ahmed’s steady showing with the ball — just some of the factors that are likely to dissuade India from taking the Bangla tigers lightly. Moreover, this may well be the time when Bangladesh finally show that they can compete with the big boys on a consistent basis.
For India — the fears of peaking too early aside — Bangladesh is an opportunity to register a seventh straight win in the tournament. The batting, barring the patchy form of Rohit Sharma, looks solid. The pace bowling — disciplined and purposeful — has been the finest we’ve seen in a very long time. And, Ravichandran Ashwin seems to have found his mojo once again. Heading into a big quarter-final, Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not have asked for more.
But there are a couple of issues that still need some addressing. In Auckland last Saturday, Brendan Taylor’s hundred showed that the Indian bowling is still vulnerable on unconducive pitches. The other major concern is the woeful form of Ravindra Jadeja. The southpaw was taken to the cleaners by Taylor in Auckland, and his performances with the bat, in the limited opportunities he has got, have been hugely disappointing. Dhoni will be tempted to replace him with Stuart Binny or Axar Patel, but it’s unlikely that the Indian think tank will tinker with a winning combination.
Bangladesh, who have been over reliant on the services of Mahmudullah and Al Hasan, will need Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim to step up. Iqbal, whose exploits with the bat knocked India out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, has failed to deliver with the bat so far. An in-form Iqbal can pose serious problems for the Indian bowlers upfront.
India, on paper, should win comfortably. But a knockout game gives Bangladesh the ideal opportunity to play without fear and cause an upset. All-in-all, the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday holds enormous significance. A win for Bangladesh will most probably catapult them to the big league. Meanwhile, a win for India will take them closer to a second consecutive World Cup title.
