Bangladesh’s recent ODI record should give them confidence

Bangladesh defeated India in 2007 World Cup and 2012 Asia Cup. (Source: Reuters)

Bangladesh has beaten India just thrice in the 28 matches that the two sides have played against each other.

For the first seven years, the engagements between the two sides were restricted to the Asia Cup. The two sides first faced off way back in the 1988 Asia Cup at Chittagong. Then they faced each other again in the 1990 Asia Cup at Chandigarh. Then as the Asia Cup took a break, so did the matches between the two neighbours. It was not until 1995 when the tournament resumed, that the sides played each other again, this time in Sharjah and there was another encounter in the 1997 Asia Cup in Colombo.(Full Coverage| Venues | Fixtures)

The number of engagements between the two sides increased after Bangladesh became a Test nation in 2000. But despite getting to tour and play every other country, Bangladesh is yet to make a trip to India to play a bilateral series.

Bangladesh has shown sparks of brilliance against India over the last 27 years. In this time, Bangladesh’s three wins have been equally spaced out. The biggest of those three wins came in the 2007 World Cup, when they knocked out India in the first round itself. Bangladesh chased down a modest target of 192 to shut out all Indian hopes. That remains India’s worst performance in World Cups since the 1979 edition. India exacted its revenge for the 2007 loss when they thrashed Bangladesh in the 2011 World Cup opener by 87 runs.

Then, Bangladesh had to wait for another five years before they registered yet another triumph over India during the 2012 Asia Cup at Dhaka. That turned out to be Bangladesh’s best-ever performance in a multi-nation event, as they lost narrowly by two runs to Pakistan in the final.

Bangladesh have since 2012 undergone a number of ups and downs, including a now famous losing streak in 2014. Bangladesh lost 12 of the 13 ODIs they played in between February and August 2014.That record has now undergone a major change as they have lost two of their last 10 ODIs.

With this kind of confidence, Bangladesh should be able to trouble India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Source:: Indian Express