World Cup Special: Three Games That Define India-Bangladesh Rivalry

1. World Cup Special: Three Games That Define India-Bangladesh Rivalry ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023: All of us are counting down to the 13th edition of cricket's most happening event which is just 9 days away. For the first time ever, India holds the responsibility of hosting the event alone, having co-hosted the tournament previously in 1987 (with Pakistan), 1996 (with Pakistan and Sri Lanka), and 2011 (with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). A series of 48 matches will have 10 qualifying teams contesting each across various stadium venues in India. Apart from India, the 9 teams who will face each other for a place in the finals are Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and England. The inaugural match will be held on 5th October and the final show is scheduled for 19th November, 2023. A month before the final is scheduled, India will lock horns in an exciting match with its neighbours, Bangladesh, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on 19th October, 2023. A thing that unites (and sometimes divides) both nations is the shared devotion to cricket, which is evident from passionate fans shouting from the stands! And as cricket rivalries go, the India vs. Bangladesh's cricket rivalry isn't as controversial & prominent but since cricket is a driving force in both nations, there are some heated moments on the field. So without further ado, let's have a look at three games that shaped the nascent India vs. Bangladesh rivalry. 2007: The First Encounter The 9th edition of the World Cup tournament was hosted by the West Indies and featured 16 participating teams. During the Group Stage, India and Bangladesh were placed in Group B as all qualifying teams were divided into groups of 4. Despite Bangladesh making their ODI World Cup debut in 1999, they didn’t face Men in Blue until 2007. India encountered Bangladesh in a nail-biting match on 17th March 2007 at

2. Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain. India scored 191 runs after getting all out in 49.3 overs, while Bangladesh achieved the target score in 48.3 overs. This close-call match resulted in Bangladesh winning the match by 5 wickets and by the end, India got knocked out of the Group Stage, while Bangladesh progressed to the Super 8 stage, before getting eliminated. 2011: Tables Final-ly Turned During the 10th edition of the tournament, both participating teams, India and Bangladesh, found themselves a part of the same group, Group B, during the Group Stage of the tournament. On 19th February 2011, neighbouring countries again met for a World Cup match at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka. MS Dhoni-led India scored an impressive 370 runs in 50 overs, while Bangladesh scored 283 runs, resulting in India winning by 87 runs. After a series of games, India moved on to the knockout stage, leaving Bangladesh behind. That’s not all, India progressed all the way to the finals after defeating Pakistan in the semi-finals. On 2nd April. 2011, India won their 2nd ICC Men's World Cup trophy! Thus began Bangladesh's long quest to win more matches against India. 2015: Bangladesh's Almost Victory Another game that further fueled the on-field rivalry between Bangladesh and India was the 2015 World Cup quarterfinals. A total of 14 teams took part in the 2015 edition and both India and Bangladesh moved to the quarter-finals after claiming the top 4 spots in their respective groups; Bangladesh was placed 4th in Group A while India came 1st in Group A. This was a particularly special feat for the Bangladesh team as they qualified for quarter-finals for the first time, after defeating England. The teams locked horns at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne as per the A1 v B4, A2 v B3, A3 v B2, and A4 v B1 pairing. As a result, both teams faced each other for a place in the semi-finals (A1= India vs. B4= Bangladesh). MS Dhoni-led India posed a target of 303 runs to Bangladesh after batting first. Unfortunately for Bangladesh, they got run out at 45 overs and managed to register only 193 runs; India won by 109 runs.

3. This match was controversial for more reasons than one. Rohit Sharma's spectacular 137 runs empowered India's grand score, despite Rubel Hossain's attempt to knock him out several times. Umpire Aleem Dar signalled a 'no-ball' when Rubel allegedly dismissed Rohit at 90. This led to Mustafa Kamal, the then ICC president threatening to quit his post as he claimed the game was 'pre-arranged' in a way that India takes the win. Till now, India and Bangladesh have faced each other 4 times in the ODI format of the World Cup. Out of which, India emerged victorious in 3 matches.