Agency :
On Tuesday, March 25, India and Bangladesh will face off for the 29th time in international football.
The subcontinental rivalry, perhaps the biggest in the region, has been dominated by the Blue Tigers, who have won 14 contests – including the first one at the 1978 Asian Games – lost just four, and 10 have ended in draws.
Ahead of departing the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on March 20, coach Javier Cabrera made his final decision around the 25 players would travel to face familiar foes India in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
Among those who were cut from the initial 30-man squad were the likes of Arif Hossain, Piyas Ahmed Nova and Taj Uddin. However, the reason for the increased interest in the selection was due to the inclusion of Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury.
Choudhury has won the Premier League and FA Cup with the Foxes and represented England at the under-21s level. The 27-year-old opted to switch allegiance last year and in doing so has become the first Premier League player to represent the Bengal Tigers.
The visitors will need all the experience that Chodhury brings to the side with the latest Asian Cup odds stacked firmly against them. Ranked 185th according to FIFA, the Bengal Tigers are the lowest-ranked team in their group, which also features Hong Kong and Singapore.
The last decade or so has seen plenty of dramatic moments whenever the neighbours have clashed – be it Adil Khan’s 88th-minute header that erupted the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in 2019, or Sunil Chhetri’s 95th-minute free-kick in the 2013 SAFF Championship.
The last senior-level meeting in the 2021 SAFF Championship ended in a 1-1 draw, with Sunil Chhetri finding the net.
The India captain has netted six of India’s last seven goals against Bangladesh, who are statistically one of his favourite international opponents.
He also scored the penalty in the 1-0 win in the 2023 Asian Games, where he was included as one of the over-aged players in the U23 squad.
To search for Bangladesh’s last win over India, you have to go back more than two decades when they won 2-1 in extra time at the 2003 SAFF Championship semi-final in Dhaka.
India are aiming to qualify for the Asian Cup for the third successive time, Bangladesh have only qualified once before – in 1980.
There’s room for just one this time as the group winners will make it to the final tournament in Saudi Arabia in two years’ time. Singapore and Hong Kong, who also meet on Tuesday, are the other two teams in Group C.
