Bangladesh will face India today at Adelaide Oval in Super Twelve of T20 World Cup. There is no option for both teams to win to stay in the race for the semi-finals. Bangladesh is nowhere close to India in terms of team strength or recent performance. The past history of the two teams in T20 cricket is even more different. India won 10 matches in this edition, Bangladesh won 1 match India-Bangladesh.
But why is fire fighting called? In the T20 against India, Bangladesh have won and lost in several tense matches. Apart from this, there is a war of words between the cricket supporters of the two neighboring countries. It is more on social media. Today's match has also brought back the spirit of fighting in those fires of the past. Let's take a look back at the memories of some such matches -
1. Asia Cup Final, Mirpur, 2016
The match was reduced to 15 overs due to rain. Tamim-Sakibra forgot to bat earlier in conditions that were helpful for the bowlers. Bangladesh would not have crossed 100 runs if Mahmudullah's 13-ball 33-run innings was not there at the end. In the end, Bangladesh scored 120 runs for 5 wickets.
In response, India also did not make a good start. Rohit Sharma returned at the beginning. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli's 94-run partnership did not knock Bangladesh out of the match. India needed 19 runs in the last 2 overs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was at the crease. He didn't let the game take him till the last over. He won the match before 7 balls. Why is he called one of the best finishers of all time!
2. T20 World Cup, Bangalore, 2016:
Bangladeshi fans will never forget this match. Bangladesh lost the match due to their own mistakes despite coming within touching distance of defeating India. Batting first, India scored 146 runs for 7 wickets. Bangladesh was on the way to win this run.
At the end, Bangladesh needed 2 runs from 3 balls. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad were at the crease then. Mushfiqur-Mahmudullah caught by the ghost of Hardik Pandya's boundary. Both of them got out while doing that. Bangladesh lost by 1 run after losing 3 wickets in the last 3 balls when the auspicious home run out came in the sixth ball of the over.
3. Nidahas Trophy Final, Colombo, 2018:
That match in Bengaluru or Nidahas tri-nation T20 series final - in which match did Bangladesh have to burn more with the pain of losing their dreams? Such a question can be raised.
Batting first in that final, Bangladesh scored 166 runs for 8 wickets. Sabbir Rahman played an extraordinary innings of 77 runs off 50 balls. Bangladesh almost kept India in this run. India needed 35 runs in the last 3 overs. India could score only 1 run in the 18th over due to Mustafizur Rahman's excellent bowling. That's why Bangladesh's hopes of winning T20 and tri-series against India for the first time increased.
Dinesh Karthik came to the wicket with 34 needed in the last 3 overs. He scored 22 runs in the 19th over made by Rubel. Even though it took 12 in the last over, Bangladesh lost the match in the ruble over.
But this ruble brought back Suresh Raina and Lokesh Rahul and gave Bangladesh a lead in the match. Soumya made a last ditch effort to curb India's run rate in the last over as well. Even reached the fifth ball. 5 runs were needed from the last ball. Karthik hit a six off the last ball to win India the title.
4. Bilateral First T20I, Delhi, 2019
It was Bangladesh's first bilateral T20 series against India. And Bangladesh picked up the first and only win in this edition against India in the first match of that series in Delhi.
Before the tour of India that year, there was no less storm in the country's cricket. After the cricketers revolt, Shakib Al Hasan was banned for concealing the gambling proposal. Tamim Iqbal also did not play that series due to personal reasons. Even in the absence of these two senior cricketers, the Tigers defeated India by 7 wickets in the first T20I. Mushfiqur Rahim's unbeaten fifty, whose fault Bangladesh lost in Bangalore in 2016, brought victory to Bangladesh. Mahmudullah Riyad was also in the crease.
5. Third T20, Nagpur, 2019
In this match, history was handing Bangladesh. Even after Mohammad Naeem's innings of 81 runs off 48 balls, it did not happen again. In response to 175 runs, Bangladesh reached the quota of 100 runs in 11.5 overs.
Mushfiq, Mahmudullah and Afif Hossain did not come to the wicket yet. Bangladesh needed 50 runs off the last 30 balls. Therefore, there was a big chance of winning the match and the series in front of Bangladesh. But Bangladesh lost the last 8 wickets for just 34 runs on the bowling of Deepak Chahar.