Home ›› 15 Dec 2021 ›› Sport
Bangladesh vs India has become a heated rivalry in the South Asian region in both cricket and football. Despite the difference in quality, there are always sparks flying before a clash between the sides, where both sides aim at a win.
But in the case of hockey, the Bangladesh skipper Ashraful Islam did not give any false hope and said they were looking forward to put up a good fight
“We have a good preparation. We will take the field to play well against India. Hopefully, if we can apply the tactics and techniques the coach has taught us, then we can do something good. By something good, I mean a 2-1 or 3-1 defeat,” he said on Tuesday.
Even though Ashraful’s words sound demoralising, history states that it’s more like accepting their fate. In their previous four encounters with India, Bangladesh have managed only three goals, conceding 25. The rankings speak of nothing different as India are ranked third, whereas Bangladesh sit 37th.
India have also won the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and with all that in mind, Ashraful thinks that they cannot win against India.
“If I say that we will win or draw against them, that is something very tough. They have won a medal at the Olympics. It is very difficult for us. India is a very strong team. The difference between us is very apparent. They are well ahead of us in the rankings. I don’t think we can win against India. But we can offer a good match to the supporters,” he told the media.
Bangladesh head coach Gobinathan Krishnamurthy told The Business Post that they will be implementing a complete defensive ploy.
“100% defensive tactics against India. What do you think? They are 3rd, we are 37th. We will use 100 per cent defensive tactics against them,” he told TBP.
He also said that the Bangladesh players will try their best.
“We have not played an international match in 40 months, but the other teams have. What can you expect from us? All the teams are ahead of us in the rankings. All I can say is the boys will try their best on the field,” he said on Monday.
India head coach Graham Reid said after their 2-2 draw against South Korea that Bangladesh were a good side and they will try their best to win.
“We have to come out and play well tomorrow (today). That is what I was telling the team that we have to bounce back tomorrow. Bangladesh are a very good team. Like everybody else, they are also lacking in match practice. But it’s okay because sometimes they come out with fire in their belly because of not playing for so long. For me, we have to prepare like we are facing the World Champions,” he told the Media on Tuesday.
Answering a question about whether it would be easier to beat Bangladesh rather than South Korea, Reid said, “I would never say that (it is easier to beat Bangladesh than Korea). Two things- one, you must respect your opposition. And again, they haven’t played in a long time, and they could be dangerous. They will want to win tomorrow (today).”
Bangladesh will take on India at 3:30 PM at the Maulana Bhashani Stadium in Dhaka today.
