When people talk about cricket rivalries, the conversation almost always starts and ends with India vs Pakistan. But quietly, over the past two decades, India vs Bangladesh has grown into one of the spiciest and most dramatic rivalries in world cricket, packed with controversies, close finishes, and unforgettable moments.
The Turning Point: 2007 World Cup Shock
The seeds of this rivalry were sown in 2007, when Rahul Dravid’s India crashed out of the ODI World Cup after a shock defeat to Bangladesh. That single match changed the way fans from both sides viewed each other. Suddenly, Bangladesh weren’t just underdogs, they were giant killers.
Revenge and Fireworks
Four years later, India extracted revenge in style. The 2011 World Cup opener saw Virender Sehwag smash 175 and a young Virat Kohli add a hundred, as India bulldozed Bangladesh. But by 2015, the rivalry had turned controversial again. A disputed no-ball call gave Rohit Sharma a lifeline on 90, and he went on to score 137. India piled up 302, won comfortably, and the fallout was so huge that then-ICC President Mustafa Kamal, himself a Bangladeshi, wanted to resign in protest, dubbing the ICC as the “Indian Cricket Council.”
2016: The Drama Years
If 2015 was fiery, 2016 turned into pure theatre. Ahead of the Asia Cup final, a morphed photo of Taskin Ahmed holding MS Dhoni’s severed head created a storm. India responded on the field, winning the final with ease. Just weeks later, at the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh needed just 2 runs off 3 balls against India, but collapsed dramatically. Mushfiqur Rahim’s premature celebration is now the stuff of memes, while MS Dhoni’s iconic last-ball run-out sealed India’s one-run escape.
Close Calls and Upsets
Since then, India and Bangladesh have continued to produce thrillers. The 2018 Nidahas Trophy final was decided by Dinesh Karthik’s last-ball six. The same year, the Asia Cup final went to the very last ball again. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have also enjoyed their moments: ODI series wins in 2015 and 2022, a T20I win in Delhi in 2019, and a six-run victory over India in the 2023 Asia Cup.
Kohli’s Fake Fielding Controversy
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, things heated up again. After India edged Bangladesh by just 5 runs in Adelaide, Bangladesh’s Nurul Hasan accused Virat Kohli of “fake fielding," something umpires ignored. Here’s the spicy part: the penalty for fake fielding is exactly 5 runs. India had won that match… by exactly 5 runs. The irony made it one of the most talked-about controversies in recent T20 history.
India vs Pakistan may grab the spotlight, but India vs Bangladesh has quietly become cricket’s most underrated, and arguably most entertaining rivalry.
