Both India and Bangladesh, placed in the same group of the Asian Cup qualifiers, are out of contention and neither will move to the next round.
With two points each, the South Asian teams, once termed the South Asian powerhouses, will come face to face on 18 November in Dhaka, which will be India’s away and Bangladesh’s home match.
From the perspective of Asian football, this meet will not carry much weight and from the point of view of the Asian qualifiers, it’s a dead rubber game.
However, as regional prestige goes, the match carries significance for both teams since neither will want to go back with heads down.
For India, it’s a must win because, on home soil, where they are often touted invincible, they drew with a Hamza rejuvenated Bangladesh – something the Blue Tiger fans are still finding hard to accept.
For Bangladesh, a victory will mean an end to the winless streak against India.
Since 2005, Bangladesh and India faced each other a total of ten times, of which, India won four while the rest ended in draws.
This time, Bangladesh will be looking to come out of the circle of draws and, finally, hit the bull’s eye.
Naturally, it’s not going to be easy because India has records of winning on Bangladesh soil, even when we were a formidable side.
Let’s go back to the 1986 World Cup qualifier matches held in 1985.
On home ground, Bangladesh beat both Thailand and Malaysia by 1-0 and 2-1 respectively but stumbled to a 2-1 defeat against India.
At that time, Ashish Bhadra, the captain, deplored the miserable game the team played to lose against their neighbours.
For some reason, the notion that India is better has always had a psychological impact on the Bangladesh side, which, at that time, boasted superstars like Aslam, Chunnu, Ashish, Ameli, Badal, Ranjeet, Wasim, Babul.
Of course, in 2003 at the SAFF Championship, Bangladesh won on home soil against India, thanks to the Golden Goal rule.
This time, the team has started early preparations and there will also be a friendly against Nepal as a practice match.
However, all eyes are on 18 Nov!
So, what does Bangladesh need to do right to secure the elusive win against India?
Shedding the home soil jitters:
The most perplexing aspect of the Bangladesh side is that it’s possibly the only team, which becomes nervous in front of a partisan home crowd.
Instead of capitalising on the support plus the electrifying atmosphere, the players make silly mistakes, lose their nerves and end up committing the most fouls.
Bangladesh lost both their home matches against Singapore and Hong Kong due to terrible defence line lapses and some amateurish mistakes.
Although the team redeemed itself in Hong Kong by securing a draw with a late equaliser from Rakib, the local fans are frustrated by the team’s inability to play cohesively with a drive to win.
Interestingly, this home soil nervousness is a new phenomenon because back in the 80s and 90s, Bangladesh always performed (and usually won) on home ground, especially against South Asian rivals.
For the upcoming match, the players need to take the crowd presence and use it to their advantage.
A compact defence is crucial:
India may have fared below par in the Asian qualifiers but they secured third spot at the CAFA Nations Cup held in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in August.
The Blue Tigers beat Tajikistan 2-1 and beat Oman in penalties in the third place-deciding match.
Therefore, there’s no chance to take India lightly at all.
Reportedly, they will also be boosted by the presence of two foreign-based players.
For Bangladesh, a tight defence is the first priority because in both the home matches against Singapore and Hong Kong, glaring defence errors were the reasons for conceding goals.
The tactic changed for the away match in Hong Kong, where four and, at one point, five were guarding the fort.
In Dhaka, against India, the first move should be to solidify the backline.
Also, goal keeper Mitul Marma has to be extra cautious about sudden long range shots.
The Hamza, Shome, Fahamedul impact:
Hamza Choudhury has proved himself to be the talisman of the national side.
On the field, he is relentless, and off it, a force of inspiration for others.
Jamal Bhuiyan has made a comeback while the team will get the services of Shamit Shome, Fahamedul, Tariq Kazi and Britain based Sunderland, now Bashundhara Kings footballer, Cuba Mitchell.
A dream line up, indeed!
So what do football lovers think of the match ahead against India?
Shamsu, a former hockey player for Victoria Sporting, says: “the national side got four matches with Hamza which will be five if we assume he will be available in the practice match against Nepal. That’s enough time for a player of Hamza’s calibre to blend in with the team.”
Hamza along with the other foreign based players should be given a chance to play together in the match against India, he opines.
However, Shamsu also cautions against complacency, adding: “India will also come desperate for a victory because they want to break the cycle of draws against Bangladesh.”
Baten, once a footballer for PWD, observes: “the Hamza frenzy has injected new life into football which was in a moribund state for too long. A win against India will revive hopes of regional glory once more.”
Mamun, a former player for Rahmatganj, and now a coach for an Old Dhaka based football academy, feels both Fahamedul and Cuba have the skills to be the stars of the national team.
“However, in defence, I feel the absence of Biswanath, who is still recovering from an injury.”
Eclipsing all the European club games and the Asian qualifiers high voltage clashes, on 18 November, Bangladeshi football fans will be focused on the match at home.
In the massive canvas of global football, this will be a blip but for Bangladeshis, the biggest bang of recent times.
Turning the bang into an unforgettable bling is up to the team!
Towheed Feroze is a former journalist!