Miles to go before Bangla sleep!

"Indian journalists are asking me if a third upset is on the cards. I ask, why do you think it will be an upset? Bangladesh are a well-balanced team this year. They are capable of great things and let us not forget what happened in 2007 or the 2004 ODIs. I have vowed to never watch cricket again if we lose to India today," Mujassim Mohammed told Mid-Day, while blowing a conch and waving the Bangladeshi flag incessantly on the sidelines of the league stage match in Pune.

While Mujassim was busy flaunting his tiger-print paint on each cheek, high-pitched ‘India, India' chants of little children could be heard a few metres away, blending with the roars of their parents.

Mujassim, a 34-year-old research scholar from Chattogram, has followed the Shakib Al Hasan-led outfit for over two decades. "Compared to others, our opportunity to play against the bigger nations is limited. We have to prove ourselves in the limited number of matches we get to play. It is a do-or-die battle out there. We have some big names playing for the country, they are no less than India's (Ravichandran) Ashwin or Australia's (David) Warner. Exposure is the all that matters," he complained, while staring at his Indian counterparts beneath a furrowed brow.

Over the years, Bangladesh have been perceived as the slitheriest of banana skins for the ‘brawly' opposition at major ICC tournaments, mainly World Cups, but never strong contenders. However, the likes of England, Australia, South Africa, or even India for that matter, are also acutely aware of the shifting dynamics in international cricket, that the tide can always turn in an unknown time.

For a country emanated from a ruthless war, cricket has strived hard to represent hope in present-day Bangladesh. The sport is regarded as an expression of freedom, probably by a means of looking their superiors in the eye to carve a name for itself, and it was even more so for Bangladesh. Football was an easy distraction, but they were aware it was not going to help them make a name in it, at least not anytime soon. With cricket, thousands of hundreds like Mujassim swore their allegiance to this one sport, that he feels, ‘kabhi hasata hain, toh kabhi rulata hain' (sometimes it makes you laugh, and sometimes it makes you cry).

"Yes, that insecurity as a Bangla fan has always been there. Indians look dangerous this year, plus they have the home advantage. I'm definitely not as ardent a fan as he (Mujassim) is, but I look forward to seeing our team win today. Any win over India calls for a big celebration back home," Mujassim's longtime friend, Mohammad Faisal told Mid-Day, while making his habit of flashing the victory sign evident to others.

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An opening win followed by two losses against better teams had put Bangladesh in a position of some desperation, given that a third loss on the trot will only dent their hopes. In fact, the man around whom the team did once revolve is no more a part of the team, Tamim Iqbal's absence has time and again threatened to lay hold of the spotlight as he has been one of the top batters for Bangladesh in ODIs, having amassed 8,357 runs in 243 ODI outings.

When reporters quizzed coach Chandika Hathurusingha in the pre-match press conference about whether there will be a repetition of the 2007 World Cup on Thursday, he replied, "I can only ask my team to do 100 percent and our best. And then after that, I have little control of what the outcome is." There was frustration, and with it, a hint of anger, in his voice.

Hathurusingha, whose side had been under pressure to bounce back from two consecutive defeats, later added that World Cup contests are entirely different from any other matches. Notably, the Bangla Tigers have defeated the Men in Blue thrice in their previous four ODI meetings over the last few months but, by Hathurusingha's own admission, it will have no bearing on the Thursday encounter.

And it, for sure, didn't.

As has been usually the norm with each of India's opponents in the ongoing World Cup thus far, accumulating runs against arguably the world's best bowling attack proved a big ask for Hathurusingha's men. Much like Pakistan, the Tigers had only themselves to blame after having squandered a fiery start which saw them achieve 90 for no loss after 14 overs. The glue eventually dried up as Rohit Sharma's bowling comrades came to the fore on a featherbed, taking wickets in quick succession, as a helpless Hathurusingha looked on from the boundary edge.

In reply, Rohit and his predecessor Virat Kohli unleashed their wrath with the willow, leaving Bangladeshis with an uphill struggle to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals. The players, looking pale and drawn, knew a third defeat was on the cards. Kohli, at his ominous best, comfortably anchored India's 257-run chase with an unbeaten 103 as the hosts wrapped up in 41.3 overs.

While Mujassim was nowhere to be spotted after the defeat, Faisal insisted that he does not have a problem with Bangladesh losing since India is a good team. "I told you before, this team looks really dangerous this year. We lost, but we will come back stronger from here. They played better cricket, at least we can take delight in the fact that we were not bowled out, Pakistan was all out against India. (laughs)," he remarked, before disappearing into the crowd within minutes.