- By Namrata Vijay
- Sat, 22 Jun 2024 03:23 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs BAN, 2024 T20 World Cup: The rivalry between India and Bangladesh in the shortest format has always been a one-sided affair. Bangladesh hasn’t created a niche for themselves as a T20 team, who can give a hard time to the top teams. While playing against India, they have a poor head-to-head record of 12-1 after playing in 13 T20Is. They had defeated India just once in November 2019 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. As far as T20 World Cup matches are concerned, Bangladesh have lost all four matches against India since 2009. The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side will aim to beat India for the first time in a T20 World Cup on Saturday in Barbados.
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Let’s look at the thrilling T20 matches between India and Bangladesh, which are not meant for the faint-hearted fans:
Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni break Bangladesh's hearts
It was way back in 2016 at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru that Bangladesh was inching closer to beating India. Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman took two wickets each and helped the team reduce India to 146/7. Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan made significant contributions with the bat but failed to put up a big target. While chasing, Bangladesh needed 11 runs to win in the last over although the match was still evenly poised. And then Mushfiqur Rahim smashed Hardik Pandya for a four as the ball went over the covers to the fine leg.
The Bangla Tigers then needed just two runs off three balls and all they had to do was stay calm amid immense pressure. Mushfiqur tried to smash a six but was dismissed as Shikhar Dhawan took an easy catch. And then, another in-form batter Mahmudullah got out while playing the same shot. Bangladesh then needed two runs off one ball and that's when Shuvagata Hom missed the ball and tried to bring in a bye, but MS Dhoni removed his gloves and ran Mustafizur Rahman out, resulting in India's win by 1 run.
Litton’s wholehearted efforts in vain
During the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, India once again snatched victory from Bangladesh’s hands. Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first, and the team posted a respectable target of 184/6. KL Rahul scored 50 off 32 balls while Virat Kohli scored 64 off 44 balls. Suryakumar Yadav too chipped in by scoring 30 runs off 16 balls. In reply, Bangladesh had a flying start. Litton Das scored a gritty knock of 60 runs off 27 balls. But the match was then stopped due to rain interruptions and Bangladesh was then given a fresh target to chase 150 runs.
The Rohit Sharma-led side then bounced back in the game. KL Rahul attempted a brilliant run-out and dismissed Litton Das providing a major breakthrough to India. Following Das' wicket, the Bangladesh team suffered a batting collapse. Bangladesh needed seven runs to win on the last ball, but Nurul Hasan Sohan could only take one run and thus India won by five runs with the help of the DLS method.
Can Bangladesh beat India?
In the upcoming match, the Rohit Sharma-led side is considered the favourites. They are riding high on confidence as they defeated Afghanistan in their first Super 8 clash. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh rattled Afghanistan’s batting lineup by taking wickets at regular intervals. At the same time, Bangladesh will aim to bounce back after losing to Australia by 28 runs. The form of their top-order batters remains a problem for them for their next two Super 8 matches. They will face a daunting task against India on Saturday.
