NEW DELHI: The Test rivalry between India and Bangladesh, while not as historically significant as some other cricket rivalries, has seen steady development over the years.
Since Bangladesh gained Test status in 2000, they have played several matches against India, but India has largely dominated the encounters.
The inaugural Test between India and Bangladesh took place in Dhaka in 2000.This was Bangladesh’s debut in Test cricket. Led by Sourav Ganguly, India won the match convincingly by 9 wickets.
India have won the majority of the Test matches between the two nations and Bangladesh are yet to win a Test match against India, with India either securing comfortable victories or some drawn encounters.
India’s strength, both in terms of batting and bowling, has often been too overwhelming for Bangladesh, especially in the longer format.
Despite India’s dominance, Bangladesh has shown competitive spirit in recent years, particularly at home where they’ve improved their overall game. In the 2015 Fatullah Test, for instance, Bangladesh managed to draw the match thanks to strong performances, particularly by their spinners.
Individual players from Bangladesh, such as Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, have had moments of brilliance, but these haven’t yet translated into a Test win against India.
One of the notable encounters was the 2017 Test match in Hyderabad, where India posted a huge total of 687/6 declared, and Bangladesh fought hard in both innings but lost by 208 runs. This match highlighted Bangladesh’s improvement in their resilience, but India’s depth was too much for them to handle.
Bangladesh last toured India for a two-match Test series in 2019-20.
In that series, India continued their winning streak against Bangladesh, securing innings victories in both the Tests, with standout performances from their pace attack.
In the first Test in Indore in November 2019, after bowling out Bangladesh for 150, India declared their first innings at 493/6 riding on Mayank Agarwal’s 243.
Mohammed Shami took 4 wickets, Ravichandran Ashwin took 3 and Umesh Yadav took 2, to bowl out Bangladesh for 213 runs to register a victory by an innings and 130 runs.
The second Test at the majestic Eden Gardens from November 22 was the first-ever day-night Test match in India.
After bundling out Bangladesh for 106 in their first innings thanks to Ishant Sharma‘s 5/22, India declared their first innings at 347/9 riding on captain Virat Kohli‘s 136.
Bowling with the pink ball, Umesh Yadav took 5 wickets, while Ishant took 4 as India bundled out Bangladesh for 195 in their second innings to win by an innings and 46 runs.
Bangladesh have struggled particularly when facing India’s fast bowlers and playing in Indian conditions, where India’s spinners have also dominated.
The gap in experience, infrastructure, and player depth has been significant in Test cricket, making it difficult for Bangladesh to consistently challenge India in Test cricket.
Team India is seven places ahead of Bangladesh in the official Test rankings published by the ICC and leads the World Test Championship standings.
The rivalry could become more competitive as Bangladesh continues to develop its cricketing infrastructure and nurtures its upcoming talent.
Though India has maintained dominance, Bangladesh’s gradual improvement in both the batting and bowling departments could lead to more competitive encounters in the future.
After winning both of the Tests in Pakistan, Bangladesh is riding high after defeating their Asian rivals in a Test series for the first time.
The Test rivalry, while relatively one-sided, is a reflection of Bangladesh’s growing stature in international cricket and India’s status as a cricketing powerhouse.