Boria Majumdar in Dubai
If there is one team that can match Indian fans in intensity, it is Bangladesh. Their media is an extension of the team and they are here in numbers to support Litton Das and his boys. With a batting line-up that chased down 170 against Sri Lanka, they know they have a chance. They also know India will come hard and in Dubai there is a really nice build-up to the game. After all the politics over India-Pakistan, the focus is back to cricket and on Wednesday evening, the sport will take centre stage in hot and humid Dubai.
For Das, the match against India is the one that matters. Beat India, and Bangladesh would have made a statement that would be talked about for months to come. It will resonate around the world and add to the lore of Bangladesh cricket. Motivation-wise, Bangladesh don’t need more. The stakes are as high as they can ever get for them. Win against India and they can very well be in the semi-finals. Bangladeshi journalists who are in Dubai have started calling this game the new Asian derby. “Even if someone isn’t 100 per cent fit should play. Against big teams and on big occasions, the players need to take the risk. That’s how you become a great of the game,” says a senior Bangladeshi journalist who is in the city to cover the encounter.
“If Bangladesh can win the toss and bat first, they can hurt India. If they don’t lose too many wickets in the first 10 overs, we can target the Indian spinners,” he says. Bangladesh do play spin well and it is to be seen how Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy shape up and how Axar Patel bowls after being given just one over against Pakistan. From an Indian standpoint, they know Bangladesh can hurt them and are conscious it is time to bring out their A game and close out the debate.
There is no question it will be a real spectacle. Bangladeshi fans will match their Indian counterparts in every way and the number of Bangladeshi fans may well outnumber the Indians in Dubai. Bangladesh could be the only team that has more journalists covering the tournament than the number of Indian journalists present in Dubai, and each one of them are there to cover history being scripted. For Das and his colleagues, September 24 is the day that matters. For Suryakumar Yadav, it will be a routine win. For Bangladesh it will be historic.
Soon after the Indian press conference was completed at the Dubai International Stadium, a group of Bangladeshi journalists came over to me and asked if I was giving Bangladesh a chance. They were keen on knowing what I felt about Mustafizur Rahman and if I rated him highly. Finally, they were very keen on asking if I rated Bangladesh higher than Pakistan. The truth is I do rate Bangladesh highly. They have the potential in the white-ball format and no team should take them lightly. The intensity in India’s practice in the evening was evidence the players are ready. They will want to close things out and make it to the final, while the Bangladesh versus Pakistan encounter on Thursday becomes a virtual knock out.
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