As World Cup 2015 moves into the business end, India will clash with Bangladesh in the second quarterfinal on March 19 at the MCG for a spot in the semis. India will obviously start as firm favourites after their seamless six straight victories in the tournament so far.
So what can go wrong for India? Just to refresh everyone’s memory, here is what happened in 2007 when the two teams met in a group stage match at the Queen’s Park Oval at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in the ICC World Cup at West Indies. A little magical story which Dhoni would be sharing with his team at the dinner table, I am sure!
What happened in Trinidad
Placed in Group B with Bermuda, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India were expected to qualify along with Sri Lanka for the next stage: the Super 8s. On March 17, 2007, India started off their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh with three players in their line-up who had more than 10,000 ODI runs each – Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid.
After Dravid won the toss and decided to bat first on a green-tinged pitch, the famed Indian batting line-up suddenly realised that they were up against it – big-time! A brilliant opening spell of hostile pace from a young Mashrafe Mortaza saw India lose Sehwag and Uthappa very quickly. Mortaza would return later to pick up Agarkar and Munaf Patel later and his match haul of 4 for 38 would bring him the Man of the Match award.
As Ganguly dropped anchor at one end predictably to stem the rot, the Indian middle order now came up against a trio of zippy left arm spinners. With nothing to lose, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzaq and a very young Shakib Al Hasan bowled a tight line and length and suddenly run-making became a very difficult proposition. Rafique, the veteran, prised out the wickets of Dravid, Ganguly and Dhoni and in tandem Razzaq picked up the wickets of Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Harbhajan leaving India in tatters.
By the time Mashrafe came back to mop up the tail, only Yuvraj (47) and Ganguly (66) had lent some respectability through a fighting 85-run partnership and India folded meekly for a total of 191, which looked way below par. As Bangladesh used only five bowlers, it was an amazing display of accurate bowling and sharp fielding which brought the much vaunted Indian batting machine to its knees.
When Bangladesh batted
Indian fans were still hoping that the bowling attack of Zaheer, Munaf and Agarkar, backed by the spin prowess of Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Sehwag would bring the team back into the game. But what unfolded thereafter was a bit of sheer cricketing magic from three young batsmen.
Tamim Iqbal, the youngest member of the side and in just his fifth one-dayer, went on the attack with an audacious 53-ball 51, bursting with confidence as he charged the fast bowlers. As the Indian outfit looked ragged with every passing over, what followed was a clinical finish. Led by Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, two batsmen already being talked about as the stars of the next generation, Bangladesh clinched a famous 5-wicket victory with nine deliveries left. After an 85-run partnership with Shakib, it was Mushfiqur who picked off the winning runs by playing Munaf Patel through the covers to trigger massive celebrations in the stadium and all over Bangladesh.
India's bowling attack lacked teeth and, barring a good spell from Munaf, was accompanied by some sloppy fielding as well. All in all, it was a great upset and a result which shook India so badly that they never recovered and made an exit from the tournament shortly.
Bangladesh today
And so we come India-Bangladesh encounter on March 19. Only Dhoni still remains from that team which capitulated meekly in Trinidad. But for Bangladesh, there are four players from that 2007 side who still play a key role. Mashrafe is now the lion-heart captain. Tamim, the opener, is older and wiser and, more importantly, always dangerous at the top of the order. Mushfiq and Shakib form the formidable middle-order engine which gives the team stability and teeth in the middle and slog overs.
I am sure that there are two different stories that will get told. Dhoni will share with his boys how he felt as a young player in that team on that fateful day. And, knowing his leadership skills, there will be enough lessons shared to minimize complacency going ahead.
But this time I would rather hear the second story. Be a fly on the wall in the Bangla camp for a change. As four tigers gather their troops by the fireplace and run through the events of that magical day for Bangladesh cricket – each from his own perspective. The story where, against all odds, four young boys worked together to pull off an unforgettable victory. And rest assured, when the team takes to the field come Thursday, every player will want to make that dream a reality once again. Game on, India!
Rathindra Basu lives, breathes, sleeps sports and is forever waiting for the next Indian sporting triumph. Since this usually takes much time and infinite patience he also listens to music, reads voraciously and eats almost anything that moves!
So what can go wrong for India? Just to refresh everyone’s memory, here is what happened in 2007 when the two teams met in a group stage match at the Queen’s Park Oval at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in the ICC World Cup at West Indies. A little magical story which Dhoni would be sharing with his team at the dinner table, I am sure!
What happened in Trinidad
Placed in Group B with Bermuda, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India were expected to qualify along with Sri Lanka for the next stage: the Super 8s. On March 17, 2007, India started off their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh with three players in their line-up who had more than 10,000 ODI runs each – Tendulkar, Ganguly and Dravid.
After Dravid won the toss and decided to bat first on a green-tinged pitch, the famed Indian batting line-up suddenly realised that they were up against it – big-time! A brilliant opening spell of hostile pace from a young Mashrafe Mortaza saw India lose Sehwag and Uthappa very quickly. Mortaza would return later to pick up Agarkar and Munaf Patel later and his match haul of 4 for 38 would bring him the Man of the Match award.
As Ganguly dropped anchor at one end predictably to stem the rot, the Indian middle order now came up against a trio of zippy left arm spinners. With nothing to lose, Mohammad Rafique, Abdur Razzaq and a very young Shakib Al Hasan bowled a tight line and length and suddenly run-making became a very difficult proposition. Rafique, the veteran, prised out the wickets of Dravid, Ganguly and Dhoni and in tandem Razzaq picked up the wickets of Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Harbhajan leaving India in tatters.
By the time Mashrafe came back to mop up the tail, only Yuvraj (47) and Ganguly (66) had lent some respectability through a fighting 85-run partnership and India folded meekly for a total of 191, which looked way below par. As Bangladesh used only five bowlers, it was an amazing display of accurate bowling and sharp fielding which brought the much vaunted Indian batting machine to its knees.
When Bangladesh batted
Indian fans were still hoping that the bowling attack of Zaheer, Munaf and Agarkar, backed by the spin prowess of Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Sehwag would bring the team back into the game. But what unfolded thereafter was a bit of sheer cricketing magic from three young batsmen.
Tamim Iqbal, the youngest member of the side and in just his fifth one-dayer, went on the attack with an audacious 53-ball 51, bursting with confidence as he charged the fast bowlers. As the Indian outfit looked ragged with every passing over, what followed was a clinical finish. Led by Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, two batsmen already being talked about as the stars of the next generation, Bangladesh clinched a famous 5-wicket victory with nine deliveries left. After an 85-run partnership with Shakib, it was Mushfiqur who picked off the winning runs by playing Munaf Patel through the covers to trigger massive celebrations in the stadium and all over Bangladesh.
India's bowling attack lacked teeth and, barring a good spell from Munaf, was accompanied by some sloppy fielding as well. All in all, it was a great upset and a result which shook India so badly that they never recovered and made an exit from the tournament shortly.
Bangladesh today
And so we come India-Bangladesh encounter on March 19. Only Dhoni still remains from that team which capitulated meekly in Trinidad. But for Bangladesh, there are four players from that 2007 side who still play a key role. Mashrafe is now the lion-heart captain. Tamim, the opener, is older and wiser and, more importantly, always dangerous at the top of the order. Mushfiq and Shakib form the formidable middle-order engine which gives the team stability and teeth in the middle and slog overs.
I am sure that there are two different stories that will get told. Dhoni will share with his boys how he felt as a young player in that team on that fateful day. And, knowing his leadership skills, there will be enough lessons shared to minimize complacency going ahead.
But this time I would rather hear the second story. Be a fly on the wall in the Bangla camp for a change. As four tigers gather their troops by the fireplace and run through the events of that magical day for Bangladesh cricket – each from his own perspective. The story where, against all odds, four young boys worked together to pull off an unforgettable victory. And rest assured, when the team takes to the field come Thursday, every player will want to make that dream a reality once again. Game on, India!
Rathindra Basu lives, breathes, sleeps sports and is forever waiting for the next Indian sporting triumph. Since this usually takes much time and infinite patience he also listens to music, reads voraciously and eats almost anything that moves!
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