If you are asked when Bangladesh last won a T20I against India, the answer would come quickly, 3rd November 2019 in Delhi. Out of 17 matches, Bangladesh has managed victory only once.
In the ongoing Asia Cup, Bangladesh is aiming to break that losing streak when they face India on 24th September. Speaking at a press conference at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday, head coach Phil Simmons expressed confidence that the team can pull off a win.
However, India enters the clash in red-hot form. The defending champions remain unbeaten in this edition of the Asia Cup, including a dominant Super Four win against Pakistan.
Openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill starred while seasoned players like Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson, and Hardik Pandya add depth to their batting lineup. India also boasts a world-class bowling attack, featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and the spin duo of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have found their rhythm after a roller-coaster start to the tournament. A dramatic 4-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the Super Four highlighted their resurgence. Saif Hassan’s brilliant 61 off 45 balls showed promise at the top alongside Tanzid Tamim, tasked with handling India’s new-ball threats of Bumrah and Hardik.
Skipper Litton Das is performing well while Towhid Hridoy has regained form and is expected to tackle India’s spinners and pacers in the middle overs. Down the order, Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain will face the challenge of Bumrah in the death overs.
Mustafizur Rahman was exceptional against Sri Lanka, finishing with 4-0-20-3, but his T20I record against India is not impressive. In 13 matches, he has taken just eight wickets with best figures of 2 for 34 and an average of 57.37, well above his career T20I average of 20.57, making it his second-worst record against any opposition.
Bangladesh’s new ball expert bowlers, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Nasum Ahmed, also have a tough task ahead, particularly against India’s in-form openers.
Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill shared a 105-run partnership off 59 balls against Pakistan with Abhishek striking 74 runs including five sixes, four off Abrar Ahmed. If Rishad Hossain returns, he must be wary of Abhishek’s remarkable strike rate of 254.05 against leg spinners, well above his career strike rate of 197.21.
If Bangladesh can overcome India, they will be on the brink of confirming a spot in the final. But before that, they must solve the long-standing puzzle of beating India in T20Is.
Currently, both India and Bangladesh have two points each in the Super Four table. India leads on net run rate of 0.689 compared to Bangladesh at 0.121.
